Ever After
by The Resilient Queen
Summary: "It's messy. It means arguing and making up and laughing and-and crying and struggling, and sometimes, it doesn't seem worth it." With the defeat of Jafar comes a future that seemed impossible. As Ana and Will rebuild their life together they face insecurities and reminders of the past that threaten their ever after. ScarletQueen Ana/Will main pairing with hints of Cyrus/Alice.
1. Getting the Hell out of Wonderland

A/N: Hello! This is my first story in a long time and I am very excited! The main pairing is Anastasia/Will but might include some Cyrus/Alice. There will also be some other characters from Once Upon a Time as the story progresses. Let me know what you think!

A/N: As of October 31, 2014 this story has been reediting to better fit the timeline. As stated in some interviews OUATIW takes place during OUAT season 2, assuming they end at the same time. The story has been reedited to pick up right after OUATIW finale and progress into the start of season 3 of OUAT. These are minor changes throughout chapters 1-6, chapter 7 and on are original written after the editing. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Once Upon a Time or Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

* * *

Chapter 1  
Getting the Hell out of Wonderland

Anastasia's body felt heavy as it slowly emerged from the silent darkness. She could feel cool wetness sliding down her throat and even though her eyes felt heavy she forced them to open.

Her vision blurred as light reentered her world and she blinked a few times until a face came into view. It was blurry, but she recognized him immediately. She opened her mouth trying to say his name but suddenly her mouth was dry.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty." Her true love smiled running a hand through her hair, his heartbeat calming as their eyes met.

"Will," She managed gaining her voice again and smiling at him as his face came clearly into view, "I thought I was dying."

"It's kind of a long story," He smiled his hands moving to hold hers.

"I reckon I have time now," He laughed lightly and she let her eyes wander, just making out Alice and Cyrus standing happily in the background, "Jafar?" Her eyes snapped back to Will's.

"Is no longer a threat," He brought her hands to his mouth to kiss softly. His newly returned heart soaring at their reunion, "Nothing for you to worry about now."

She smiled, her eyes suddenly growing heavier than she could manage, "I'm tired, Will."

His heart began to pick of speed, "Hey, Ana. He shook her slightly. Try to stay awake for me. You can't leave me again."

"Just need to rest my eyes," her eyes blinked a few times before closing, her mind drifting to darkness, only one not as permanent as before.

"Ana, Ana!" He shook her again before a hand fell on his shoulder, trying to gain his attention.

"She is only sleeping, Will." Alice's voice soothed as Cyrus checked her pulse with a nod, "See?"

Will watched her chest rise slowly with each breathe before nodding, his heartbeat returning to a normal rhythm. The fear he felt was like nothing he had experienced in years, not used to the emotions he lacked when he was heartless.

Cyrus moved to stand by Alice once more as the Knave kept his eyes on Anastasia. They gave him a moment before Alice spoke up, "What's the plan now?"

"Plan?" Will turned from Ana, keeping her hand in his.

"Wonderland hasn't been free of trouble for a while, we need a plan to get things back in order."

Will was silent for a moment, "We should head back to Storybrooke."

"What?" A confused Alice sputtered, "We just fought to get Wonderland back. Anastasia was pretty adamant on staying here to fix it."

"I just lost Ana, only to get her back then lose her and get her back again. Cyrus almost died. I think it would do us all well to get out of the obvious danger zone for a while."

Alice huffed as Cyrus placed a calming hand on her shoulder, "Why Storybrooke?"

"Because," His accented voice said as he turned his gaze back to the sleeping queen, "It has the one person that can make sure Ana is really okay."

"Who?" Alice asked.

"Dr. Whale, he spent years studying resurrections."

"Was he ever successful?"

"Not that I know of, but he is a doctor! Besides, Ana needs to rest and Wonderland isn't good for resting."

"She's the queen, Will. Anastasia wanted to fix Wonderland."

"Nothing good happens here! She left a list of things to be done with Rabbit and she has advisors that can take over. She doesn't need the stress. Nothing good happens in Wonderland!"

Alice didn't flinch when Will raised his voice, knowing him like a sibling. He was scared, having repeatedly lost Anastasia in Wonderland. First to a crown, then to death. She turned Cyrus, conversing silently with their eyes, "If the Rabbit and Tweedledum can handle it then I suppose leaving Wonderland for a while would do us all some good."

* * *

Alice and Cyrus left the knave to watch over Anastasia as they went to find the others. They found Cyrus's brothers, Percy and Tweedledum in the tall tower where Jafar had cast his spell.

"Thank you for all of your help," Alice spoke to the group with a smile. "We couldn't have recovered Wonderland without you."

"Does that mean you plan on staying?" The Rabbit asked with a knowing look.

"That's what we wanted to talk about." Alice said facing Percy, "Anastasia needs to recover and Will doesn't think Wonderland is the best place for that. However, Anastasia worked hard to change her ways and wanted to oversee Wonderland's transformation."

"I can take care of that while her majesty recovers," Tweedledum stepped up with an obedient nod. "I have already sent the army out to assess the villages."

"The Red Queen also left a list of tasks to be complete, funds to be sent out and what not. The restoration can go on without her presence for a few months. Where do you wish to go?"

"The place where you found the knave," Alice requested, "Storybrooke."

"We will leave before the hour is up," Rabbit said, leaving everyone some time to prepare for the journey, he himself going to check in on his family.

Cyrus grabbed onto Alice's hand and brought her over to his brothers, "Taj, Rafi, this is my fiancé, Alice."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Alice said and Cyrus smiled as he began to catch up with his brothers.

* * *

After a while Alice and Tweedledum left the brothers to talk. The pair headed back down to the dungeon to talk to Will about Anastasia's plans for Wonderland.

They returned to the dungeon to find Will still at his post, looking as though his eyes hadn't left the sleeping queen. His worn leather jacket covered the queen like a makeshift blanket.

"Will," Alice called to gain his attention. "Tweedle and I want to go over Anastasia's plans."

Will nodded and the three of them sat down and went over Anastasia's plans. Tweedle had the most knowledge of the area and proved to be most useful in putting Anastasia's thoughts into planned actions. It was clear that Wonderland would be in good hands while the queen was away resting. Once everything was settled Tweedle left them to gather some of Anastasia's belonging he thought she would need on their journey to Storybrooke.

That left the three of them alone in the quiet dungeon. Alice watched as the knave turned his attention back to Anastasia, remembering his words about there being more than one love story worth fighting for. She still couldn't believe that had made it all out alive.

"Will."

"What?" He asked, turning to look at his old friend.

"We did it."

He smiled, looking between the sleeping queen and Alice, "It looks like we did."

* * *

It was just under an hour later when everyone gathered in the dungeon. Cyrus had spent the time talking with his brothers who agreed to stay behind in Wonderland to help with the recovery. Alice said goodbye to Cyrus's brothers before leaving the three alone for a private goodbye.

She joined Will, Rabbit and Tweedle by Anastasia's bedside. Tweedle assuring Will that he would be sure to take care of everything in the queen's absence. Once all the goodbyes were said, Will bent down to pick up Ana as Percy began to dig his hole. The group waved goodbye one last time as the portal opened and they followed the Rabbit through the hole and away from Wonderland.

* * *

"Bloody hell, Rabbit!" Will cried as the group hurried out of the middle of the road, "Can't you watch where you dig your hole?"

"A simple 'thank you' would do," Percy dusted off his coat as the group gathered on the sidewalk, "I best get back. Call if you need anything. Don't worry about Wonderland, everything is under control."

"Thank you, Rabbit. For everything," Alice waved to her old friend as he disappeared down another rabbit hole, back to Wonderland.

"Come on," Will said readjusting his hold on the sleeping queen. "Let's get back to my apartment."

Will's apartment was just around the corner from where Rabbit had dropped them off. The group moved quickly in the quiet night. He reluctantly handed Anastasia to a waiting Cyrus so he could fetch the key from the top of the door frame. He retrieved the small object, quickly opening his apartment and leading them inside.

He followed Cyrus to his bedroom as Cyrus laid Anastasia on the unmade bed. Will tucked Anastasia in, checking to see she was breathing before moving into the living area with Cyrus and Alice.

"This place could use a good clean," Alice said as the knave settled on the couch with a tired sigh, kicking one of the many boxes littering the room.

"Maybe tomorrow," He picked up his make-shift dart board drawing of Anastasia off the coffee table where Cyrus and Alice had left it and crumpled it up.

"Yeah, defiantly get rid of that." Alice said as she settled down on the loveseat with Cyrus watch the knave toss the crumpled drawing into the trash can.

"The past is the past," Cyrus said firmly as his arm slipped around Alice's shoulders.

The trio sat in silence for a moment as the past few days caught up with them. It wasn't that late in the night in Storybrooke, but the group was ready to sleep. The couple watched in awe as Will transformed the couch into a pullout bed. He showed them some nonperishable food in the cupboards and the switch to turn off the light before leaving them alone.

The first thing he did when he got to the bedroom was to check her breathing again. He removed her ridiculous long gloves and shoes before changing for bed himself. He slipped under the covers, placing an arm across her chest, feeling each breath she took. He let the reassurance of her chest fall lull him to sleep knowing tomorrow would be a long day, but at least they were safe and together.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for giving the story a try! Let me know what you think!


	2. I Would be Wrong for the Rest of my Life

A/N: All the support and reviews have been so amazing and motivating, so thank you all so much! I hope this doesn't disappoint! Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy and have an amazing day!

A/N: Reedited on October 31, 2014.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

* * *

Chapter 2  
I Would be Wrong for the Rest of my Life

Despite their attempts to be quiet, Will could hear Cyrus and Alice talking in the living room. He opened his eyes, feeling his arm move up and down with each of Ana's breaths. She had barely moved all night, which kept him up, waking to watch her every few hours.

He turned his head to find the digital clock on the bedside table, it was almost noon. With one last look at Anastasia he climbed out of bed, changing before heading into the living room.

He heard Alice laughing as he entered the hall and saw the room before him fall into darkness, then light, then darkness. He sighed as he walked in to find Cyrus flipping the switch and a giggling Alice on the couch.

"Just imagine if I had shown you two how to work the television."

"My apologies, Will. Did we wake you?" Cyrus asked as he left the light on and joined Alice on the couch.

"It's a small place," Will shrugged as he moved into the kitchen area only to realize he was out of coffee. "How long have you been up?"

"An hour," Alice said. "You need to go shopping." He rolled his eyes as she smiled at him, "What do we need to get done today?"

He began to rattle off the list that formed in his head, "Ana needs to get checked out at the hospital. We need food for the apartment and you all need new clothes."

"A full day then," Alice said cheerfully, "Is Anastasia awake yet?"

"No, she's not. I'm going to call the hospital and let them know we are coming," Will turned away and reaching for the phone sitting on the counter. When he turned around he found that Alice and Cyrus had moved to the kitchen with concerned but reassuring looks on their faces.

"She is okay, Will. The hospital will tell you the same thing."

"In all the years I've known her she has never slept past sunrise, she has been asleep for over sixteen hours."

"It's been a long few days for all of us. Call the hospital," Cyrus said when Alice seemed to be lost for words. "We can get Anastasia up and soon she will have a clean bill of health." Cyrus wrapped an arm around Alice's shoulders as Will began to dial. Both Alice and Cyrus repressing the wondrous question of how the handheld machine connected him to other people, they decided to just observe for now.

* * *

The darkness cleared and Ana was able to finally open her eyes. Her body unstiffened and she could move once again. It was then when she realized she was restrained in a chair. She jerked her hands trying to free them from the straps to no avail. Her eyes widened in panic as she glanced around the room, landing on a familiar face sitting in a similar chair across from her, "Will."

"Well look who finally decided to join us," Ana's face paled as she turned to find Jafar on the other side of the bars, the Jabberwocky with him. "You need to learn a lesson, Anastasia, I don't lose."

With a nod the Jabberwocky disappeared and Ana closed her eyes as she felt her breath on her neck. She opened her eyes to find an emotionless Will across from her, "It's time to make your wishes, your majesty."

"I don't think so, darling." Ana spit out trying to hide the fear she felt. She knew it was useless, the Jabberwocky could feel it.

"Let's take a stroll in that pretty little head of yours, shall we?" Ana felt an intense pressure fill her mind followed by pain, constant with a pulsing sensation every few seconds. She whimpered slightly, but refused needing to keep Will safe. "You were never good enough," Ana felt the pain slowly taking over her body. "Your mother preferred your sister over you. You were useless to her, a waste of time. Even that stepsister of yours proved more valuable and she was friends with mice!"

Ana whimpered again as the pain intensified, the Jabberwocky's voice filling the room. "There was only one person who ever cared about you and you ruined it." She forced Ana to look at Will's emotionless face, "He doesn't even care now. He will never love you again, heart or no heart."

The Jabberwocky made Ana watch as Jafar shoved Will's heart back into his chest. She watched as his expression changed to pain for a moment, then back to nothing. He watched her torture with the same level of disinterest.

"You will never be good enough. You will be alone for the rest of your miserable life. Will doesn't care, no one cares." The pain was unbearable now and Anastasia cried out, "Just make your wishes and I'll stop." Ana shook her head but cried out in pain again.

"Fine," The Jabberwocky moved away from Ana and her pain lessened until she met Will's eyes, "Make your wishes or he suffers too."

"Bloody hell," Will cried out in pain as the Jabberwocky flicked her wrist.

"Stop it! Don't hurt him!"

"Wish, Ana. Wish for your crown!"

Will cried out again and Ana sobbed, "I wish for my crown." The pain stayed strong as she felt her crown materialize on her head.

"And your jewels!"

She sobbed, "I wish for my jewels." They too appeared on her fingers and around her neck.

"Wish for me to stop, to take his and your pain away!"

"I wish you to stop!" She cried as the pain began to dull. Will vaporized into the bottle in Jafar's hand.

"Thank you, Jabberwocky." Jafar gave a panting Ana a devious smile as he rubbed the bottle. "I want the last thing you see is how little you mean to the world."

"Please, don't hurt him."

"You should worry about yourself," Jafar turned to Will, "I am going to kill her now."

"She means nothing to me." Will said as Jafar moved forward and cut Ana's throat.

* * *

"Ana," She couldn't get enough air. She gasped like a fish on land as she struggled to fill her lungs with oxygen, "Ana! You have to calm down, take a deep breathe."

Will shook his girlfriend in panic trying to get her to focus on him. He had just hung up the phone when she started screaming. The trio ran into the bedroom to find her gasping for breath. Will's heart pounded franticly as she took a deep breath.

"Will," She called out in a panic as he grasped her shoulders, her eyes darting around the room frantically.

"Just take deep breaths, Ana. I'm right here, you're safe." She started crying, the hysterical sobs making her breaths come in gasps again, "Hey, you need to calm down."

A nightmare. She tried to calm down, to listen to Will's voice but the scene replayed in her mind. It took a few minutes of him coaxing her to breathe for her to calm down. Tears fell silently now but her lungs no longer stung from a lack of oxygen. His death like grip lessened to his hands running up and down her arms. She could see Alice and Cyrus standing in the hallway, giving the couple space once they knew Anastasia was okay.

Her eyes cleared enough for her to look at her surrounding clearly, glancing around Will's concerned face at the room she was in. She rasped out, "Where are we?"

"My apartment in Storybrooke."

"Wonderland, we need to help fix it."

"The only thing we need to do right now is get you checked out. The Rabbit and your advisors are overseeing your plans. Right now the only thing we are going to worry about is you."

"I'm fine," Her strength was slowly growing.

He let out a humorless laugh, "You died, Ana. Yesterday you were dead and then you weren't, but then you slept for sixteen hours and woke up in terror. Humor me."

Ana could hear Will's newly returned heart beating in his chest, the care in his eyes contrasting the man from her nightmare. She nodded, allowing Will to help her up and take her to the hospital.

* * *

"Guys! Bloody Hell just walk with me," Will sighed as he reached forward to pull Alice back onto the sidewalk and as a result Cyrus, who she was holding hands with. He didn't know a five minute walk could be so long. He took a calming breath as he tightened his hold around Ana's waist, smiling as her soft laughter reached his ears. When she stood up in the bedroom she nearly passed out and he could tell she was still dizzy but slowly coming alive.

"These moving boxes are magical!" Alice exclaimed as another drove by, Cyrus nodding his head in agreement, "Do you have one, Will?"

He did. An old lemon that was rotting in storage. He didn't think it was worth it trying to get it started for the short ride to the hospital but he was beginning to regret it. He wanted to keep his eyes on the dizzy Ana, but Alice and Cyrus were dangerously fascinated at the passing cars and every time he took his arms off of them they moved closer to the road. "Not one that runs, the hospital is right there," He pointed to the building across the street. "Can we manage to stay alive and together until we get there?"

"Of course, Will!" Cyrus agreed whole heartedly as he stepped into the street once again and Will had to lunge forward to pull him back.

"Bloody hell just wait for the walk signal!"

"I think you were more relaxed in Wonderland, darling." A laughing Ana whispered from her spot leaning against him. As dark as the joke was it put a real smile on his face as the light changed.

"Look both ways!" He called after the couple crossing the road. He rolled his eyes as he led Ana across the street and towards the hospital.

* * *

Storybrooke's hospital was never a busy hospital, claiming only a few major injuries over the years. It was relatively empty when they got there but Alice, Ana and Cyrus still found it fascinating.

"Don't touch anything," Will ordered as they approached the front desk. A nurse looked up and called over Dr. Whale.

"Will, it's good to see you again." Dr. Whale approached followed by a stern looking nurse pushing a wheel chair.

"Dr. Whale, this is Anastasia Tremaine."

"Anastasia," Dr. Whale shook her hand, "Let's get you checked out." He pulled the wheelchair forward for Anastasia.

"What is that?"

"A wheelchair, it will take you to the room so you don't have to walk."

"I can walk," She moved so she wasn't leaning on Will as much.

"You promised to humor me."

"Darling," She made sure he was looking into her eyes, "This isn't part of the deal." She stuck him with her look that meant business, one she had perfected during her reign as queen.

"She won't be needing the wheelchair," He said to an amused Whale who pushed it back to the nurse. "You two don't touch anything and sit there."

"We will behave, Will." Alice said as she and Cyrus sat down in the waiting area, "Feel better, Anastasia."

Will felt Ana shift to lean against him again as they followed Whale down the hall but held his tongue. Dr. Whale led them to an exam room near the end of the hall, opening the door to reveal a brunette woman sitting in a chair in the corner of the room.

"Will, Anastasia, this is Belle French. She spent time with Rumplestiltskin and helps run his shop. She also knows about a number of topics and is the one to go to for research. After talking to you on the phone I figured it wouldn't hurt to have others who know something about dark magic."

Will helped Anastasia onto the exam table and turned to Belle, "You and the Dark One?"

"I was his prisoner for a while. It's complicated." The girl replied shaking Anastasia's hand, "I'm Belle French."

"Anastasia Scarlet," Anastasia introduced herself refusing to meet Will's curious eyes. Dr. Whale didn't make any comment on the name change as he continued to scribble on his clip board, "This is Will."

"It's nice to meet you both," Belle smiled at them as Dr. Whale moved towards the group.

"Alright, can you tell us what happened over the past few days. Starting with the torture."

Ana took a deep breath as Will stared at the ceiling, not wanting to hear about what they had already lived through, but knew it was necessary. "Jafar wanted me to use my wishes so he allowed the Jabberwocky to get inside my head."

"A Jabberwocky?"

"A creature who lives off of the fear of others." Belle answered Dr. Whale's question before Ana or Will could comment. "Most of the victims die from fear not long into the torture."

"Is that what killed you?" Dr. Whale asked bluntly.

"No," Anastasia replied. "After I made my wishes Jafar tried to cast the spell to change the laws of magic, but it didn't work because Will didn't have his heart. After they got Will's heart Jafar killed me to test it."

"How did you die?"

Will swallowed the lump in his throat as Ana answered, "I was stabbed."

Dr. Whale nodded as he began an assessment. He took Anastasia's vitals and took some blood samples. Whale and Belle left the pair alone as they ran some tests and did some research.

* * *

The pair stayed silent for a moment, Ana kicking her legs from her perch on the table. Will counted a few moments in his head before he moved from his spot against the wall to stand in front of her, "You okay?"

"Fine, darling." She answered meeting his eyes for the first time since they entered the room, "You?"

"This isn't about me."

"You were there."

"I'm fine," He replied, kissing her softly, "I'll be even better when everything checks out."

They were silent for a moment, Will now leaning against the table. "So… Anastasia Scarlet."

Ana let out a breath, "I'm sorry."

"I don't mind," Will shrugged. "It's just a name, however, last I checked you do have one of your own."

Ana nodded and he watched her closely, waiting for the response he knew was coming. "Most of these people are from the Enchanted Forest."

"Yeah," Will responded, not sure if she was looking for confirmation.

"Well the Tremaines aren't exactly a favorable family back in the Enchanted Forest. I'm just too tired for questions right now. I won't use your name again if you want…"

"Use it." Will said glancing sideways at her, "It sounds good."

Will was still soaking up her glowing smile when Belle and Whale returned to the room. "Well, Anastasia, everything seems to be in order. Your blood work is normal, your vitals and heart are strong. Any side effects you've noticed?"

Ana shook her head as Will shot her a look, "She slept for sixteen hours straight, only to wake from a nightmare. She has been dizzy and nauseous."

"Considering you came back from the dead minor side effects. Did you have experience with magic before?"

Ana nodded, "I was trained in sorcery by the Queen of Hearts. She trained me at the beginning of my reign in Wonderland."

"Cora Mills, a town favorite." Whale commented sarcastically as he looked up from her chart, "How long was she deceased."

A dark look covered Will's face, "Thirteen hours, she was then woken up and then died again for about forty-five minutes before the gifted water from the well of wonders cured her."

Ana didn't dare meet Will's eyes as Whale began to speak, "Well you seem healthy from the tests. You were, however, dead for a period of time. Your body was dead and is still getting used to living again. During death was her heart ever removed from her body?"

"No," Will answered with a sick feeling of the idea of Ana's heart being ripped from her chest.

"The only case of resurrection I've succeeded at involved a man dead for many years from his heart being crushed. He was brought back with another heart but it didn't work out." Whale turned to Belle, "Do you know of any resurrections?"

She shook her head, "As far as I know it is impossible."

"Anything is possible in Wonderland, darling," Ana responded.

"Apparently," Belle agreed, "I know only a little about this well of wonders. However, I do know it's water is very powerful and could have some effects on your magic. I will see what else I can find out."

Whale turned his attention to Will, "Make sure she eats she might not have much of an appetite for a while. Get some rest as your body adjusts. The nightmares should lessen with time."

"It's a miracle you are alive," Belle spoke. "The laws of magic aren't meant to be broken and it might take you time to adapt to being alive again."

"You seem fine and may feel fine but you went through something traumatic and seemingly impossible. Take your time recovering." Whale said to Anastasia before turning to Will, "Let me know if you need anything or if anything changes with her condition."

Belle stepped forward handing Anastasia a small piece of paper, "Here is my number if you have any questions or need some research. I will let you know if I find anything."

* * *

They spent a few more moments in the room, thanking both Belle and Whale before Will helped Ana off the table and from the room. "Told you I was fine," She said with a teasing smile as they headed back toward the waiting area.

His kissed the top of her head, keeping his tight hold on her, "As long as you're healthy I will happily be wrong for the rest of my life… Bloody hell."

Ana looked up and suppressed a laugh as they approached the couple sitting in the waiting room under the stern watch of the nurse, "What have you two been up too?"

"You will not believe the magic screens they have! They make noise and show pictures that move. There is also a machine that dispenses hot liquid when you push a button!"

Will looked around the room, noticing the coffee maker the janitor was desperately trying to get to stop spewing liquid and the nurse who was taking time to turn down the volume on all the televisions. He rolled his eyes, "Come on let's go get some food at Granny's."

The group left the hospital quickly, heading toward the favorite diner. Will felt better knowing that Ana was healthy. There would be adjustment, but she was going to be okay. They were going to be okay.

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you think!


	3. Is that a Potion?

A/N: Hell everyone! Thank you all for the amazing reviews, you are the best! This chapter is a bit shorter, but we meet more Storybrooke characters who Will grew close to before he was retrieved by Rabbit to help Alice! Enjoy!

A/N: This chapter was reedited on October 31, 2014

Disclaimer: I own nothing relating to Once Upon a Time or Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

* * *

Chapter 3  
Is that a Potion?

The walk to Granny's was more relaxed than the walk to the hospital had been. Alice and Cyrus seemed to understand the sidewalk concept and took to admiring the racing cars from afar. Will's own sense of overwhelming dread had lifted as well with Ana's relatively clean bill of health. It wasn't until Granny's came into view that Alice had reminded him of something that brought the panic back.

"Will, is this the same Granny whose key you accidently brought to Wonderland?"

"Bloody hell," He could feel Ana's questioning gaze on him as he dug around in his pockets for a key he knew was long gone. During his time in Storybrooke under the curse, he lived as a thief. He got caught trying to steal from Granny's one night, and she gave him two options; jail or work for her. Granny had taken him under her wing and treated him like family. He was not looking forward to her wrath at disappearing for so long, "This lunch may not be as relaxing as I had planned."

Cyrus opened the door to the diner and ushered everyone in. The strange hour between lunch and dinner left the place pretty empty. Will led them to a booth near the back, letting Ana slide in first so she could watch the passing cars out the window. He immediately regretted it when he realized that left him vulnerable to Granny's wrath. Cyrus and Alice slid in across from them and smiled at the approaching waitress, a tall brunette with deep red lipstick.

"Hello, welcome to Granny's," The girl started her usual greeting until her eyes landed on a familiar face, "…Will?"

"Hey there, Ruby. Long time, no see."

She gave him an awkward hug as he was sitting down, her smile wide, bright white canines standing out against red lips. "I knew today was just getting too boring, wait until Granny gets her hands on you…"

"Ruby, wait!"

"Granny! Come see who is here!"

They could hear Granny muttering as she emerged from the kitchen, a ready to scold look on her face at Ruby's yelling, "It's the same lot every day, girl." She finally looked towards their direction and her face changed to surprise, then happiness, then back to the stern mask.

"Will's home," Ruby said with glee, similar to a child waiting for a rival sibling to be punished.

She marched over to the table, grabbed the menu out of Ruby's hand and hit him on the shoulder with it, "Just where do you think you've been? Running off without a word, with my key no less!"

Alice and Cyrus watched the scene with wide eyes, never having seen the knave look so much like a scolded teenager. Ana's eyes were wide with glee as a laugh threatened to spill from her lips, "How did you even know about that? I lifted it off the new waitress!"

"I know everything," Granny said with a stern look, "Worried that poor girl sick that she lost the key on her first week on the job."

"Sorry, Granny. Besides, I reckon your key is somewhere in Wonderland now."

"Wonderland. You were a part of that mess?" Granny asked finally taking in Will's companions, "You alright?"

"Never better," He promised fishing for Anastasia's hand under the table. "This is Alice and Cyrus, and this," He gave her hand a tight squeeze, "Is Ana."

Granny seemed to understand the importance of Ana and smiled, "It is nice to meet you. Too skinny, don't you feed this girl, Will?"

"It's been a long few days," Will said grimly but brightened, "First food in this realm, I knew they had to try Granny's."

"Kiss ass," Ruby muttered from beside Granny before withering under a look. "You have to try French fries."

"I'll get started," Granny nodded to the group before returning to the kitchen to make her favorites.

"Something plain, Granny." Will called after her, knowing he wouldn't be able to get a nauseous Ana to eat the greasy wonders of this world just yet. "A plain waffle with a side of strawberries and some dry toast."

Granny nodded and Ruby turned her attention back to the group, "When did you get back?"

"Last night," Will answered.

"None of you are from here though, or the Enchanted Forest."

"Ana is from the Enchanted Forest, but left for Wonderland some years ago." Alice answered, "I'm from Victorian England and Cyrus is from Agrabah."

"Exotic," Ruby answered with a flirtatious smile. "You'll turn quite a few heads here. Small town, everyone knows everyone. Plus your clothes aren't exactly inconspicuous."

"Food trumped shopping," Will said to which Ruby let out a wolf like howl for a laugh.

"Not if you're shopping correctly. I'll get Granny to let me off shift, and we can have a girls' shopping day."

"Ruby! Get them something to drink!" Granny called from the kitchen.

"I'm on it!" She dug around her apron for a pen, "What would you like?"

Will ordered a variety of beverages, including a cup of tea for Ana, and Ruby set off to fill the order.

"What did the doctor say?" Alice asked drawing the table's attention to Ana.

"Clean bill of health," Anastasia answered.

"As long as she rests and eats," Will amended.

"Good to hear," Alice said with a genuine smile. "Will, you have to show us how to use the talking box back at the apartment."

"The television," He said with a sigh as Ruby brought over a variety of drinks.

"Have patience, Will. Not all of us were cursed to live in this world for twenty-eight years. Even after all that time you nearly killed Granny's microwave," She place the variety of drinks in the middle of the table, placing the cup of tea in front on Ana last and smiling at the blonde, "I have pictures."

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no." Will shook his head, "I do not need you two being best friends and ganging up on me," He said looking between Ana and Ruby, both wearing smiles.

"Can't handle it, darling?" Ana asked as she took a slow sip of her tea.

"We are going to have the best friendship, Will. Be happy for us," Ruby laughed as she went to check on her other costumer.

"I like her," Ana said with a smile that tugged at Will's heart.

"Drink your bloody tea," He said as she giggled but lifted the cup to her lips.

"What is this? Some kind of potion?" Alice tilted a glass of bubbling liquid towards Ana, the table's resident sorceress.

"It's not a potion," Will said pushing the glass back towards Alice, "It's soda. Just try it."

Alice took a sip from the glass, "That's quite good." She handed the glass to Cyrus before picking up another to try.

Ana leaned her head against Will's shoulder staring out the window. "Tired?" Will asked.

"No, resting," She answered looking up at him, "Can you operate one of these moving things?"

"It's called a car, love." He said pulling her closer, "If I can get mine to start I'll teach you."

* * *

Ruby and Granny came over a little while later with plates piled high with food. French fries, burgers, salads, sandwiches and Ana's waffle. Ana, Cyrus and Alice looked at the plates with wide eyes and it took prompting from Will to get them to try things. Soon enough Alice and Cyrus were eating and discussing the wonders of ketchup.

"Eat something, Ana. Strawberries are your favorite."

"I am eating," She said slowly placing a strawberry in her mouth to prove a point.

"The last thing you ate was some wild berries in Wonderland, eat more."

It was a half an hour later when nearly all the plates were empty and the group was full. Will had pestered Ana until she had eaten all the strawberries and a quarter of the waffle. He left the table to go and pay the check to Granny personally at the counter, and apologize once again for his disappearance.

"So, what do you say, ladies, shopping?" Ruby asked as she piled up the plates on the table.

"That could be fun, do you feel up to it, Anastasia?"

Ana was tired but she wanted to take in more of this new world. Plus, Ruby had some funny stories of Will in her arsenal that Ana could use later, "Let's do it."

Ruby stepped back as Will approached the table, "Get the credit card, Ana."

"What's a credit card?" Cyrus asked quietly to Alice who shrugged her shoulders as Will rejoined them.

"We are going to go shopping," Ana announced.

"That's not resting, you're tired," Will said ignoring the watchful eyes of the others, focusing instead on the determined look in Ana's.

"I'm not!" She argued, "I need some fun. Plus I can't wear this dress any longer."

Will rolled his eyes but couldn't argue with wanting her funeral dress erased from his mind forever, "Fine, but I'm coming."

"That ruins shopping day, don't you have some grocery shopping to do?" Ruby broke into their conversation, receiving a scolding look from Will.

"I won't let anything happen to her, Will. I promise." Alice called from across the table.

"I'll take it easy, Will. Just enough to get the essentials, please," Ana asked, the determined look replaced with a pleading one she had used many times before.

Will rolled his eyes at her puppy dog look, but pulled out his wallet handing her his credit card. "One hour, then you rest for the rest of the day, no arguments."

She took the card, standing and kissing him on the cheek, "Thank you, darling."

"Cyrus and I will get food for the apartment, I'll see you soon.

Cyrus and Will left the diner, heading in the direction of the grocery store. Ruby dropped off the dishes and her apron with Granny before rejoining the girls, "Wow. You didn't even have to ask for the credit card. That's serious." Both Alice and Ana threw her a questioning look as she laughed, leading them to the small selection of stores in town, "So much to learn, ladies."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you! I will work to update soon!


	4. Shop Till You Drop

A/N: Hello lovely people! I hope your week is going well! Here is the new chapter! Let me know what you think, enjoy!

A/N: This chapter was edited on October 31, 2014

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Once Upon a Time or Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

* * *

Chapter 4  
Shop Till you Drop

Ruby had slipped her arms around both girls as she walked them further into town. Ana kept a tight hold around the plastic card Will had given her as she listened to Ruby's stories, "So Granny had given him leftovers and a key to the diner so he could heat them up. So he put them in the microwave…"

"The what?" Ana interrupted, wanting to understand the story fully when she used it to tease Will later.

"A microwave, it is used to rewarm food really fast. Anyway, Granny had wrapped the food in tinfoil," She stopped at Ana and Alice's curious glances. "It's a silver foil that is used to wrap food to keep it fresh in the refrigerator, a cold box. Anyway this foil is made with metal and when you put metal in a microwave it starts a fire…"

"No!" Alice called with glee, imagining the scene.

"It was late at night and he came over to heat up a burger and boom! Sparks started flying everywhere, by the time we heard the commotion we came down to a room full of smoke and a cursing Will."

"Oh, poor baby," Ana said with a laugh.

"Granny almost killed him. He had mandatory cooking lessons for the next month."

"It's nice that you and Granny were there for him," Alice commented as they turned a corner and walked down a main road.

"Everyone needs a family, even if it's built from scratch. I'm surprised he never mentioned you," She turned her head to Ana.

"Oh, I'm sure he did. I just doubt the words he used were very nice," Ana said sadly, looking anywhere but at Ruby.

Ruby squeezed her arm, "If I learned anything living in this town is that you can get your second chance, and that second chance is pretty powerful. Plus I've seen the way he stares at you, he won't let you out of his sight again." Ana smiled brightly, "Plus if he does anything stupid I will pick sides, he never once came shopping with me," Ruby joked as she led them into the clothing store.

* * *

Cyrus and Will walked in silence to the grocery store not far from Granny's. Will couldn't remember the last time he stepped foot in the grocery store. Bachelor life had meant a lot of pizza and Granny's, but he was almost certain that Anastasia would not be impressed with the continuation of that lifestyle.

Will grabbed a cart from outside the store and walked through the automatic doors, "Fascinating!" Cyrus exclaimed, following Will down the aisles, "You have your marketplace indoors?"

"Mostly, easier with the electricity." Cyrus moved them down the produce aisle picking up strawberries and a variety of other produce. Cyrus picked up a bag of lettuce and tossed it around in his hands, "Careful."

Cyrus placed the lettuce back and continued to follow Will down the aisle, looking around. "Who is playing the music?"

Will barely noticed the music playing softly in the background, "The radio. It's on a sound system. It's like the television."

"This world is full of wonders," He said as Will moved into the meat aisle. "Meat already cut up? You don't hunt your own?"

"No, ready to go. Makes life a lot simpler." Will picked up a variety of things, enough to make a good few meals for the group of four before having to head out again.

Will almost laughed at Cyrus's reaction to the bottled milk. They spent nearly twenty minutes in the chip and candy aisle, filling up their basket with things to try. Will ended the trip in the frozen section, selected different flavors of ice cream he thought Ana would enjoy. He picked up a few frozen meals before leading Cyrus to the check out.

"Welcome back, Will." Mr. Clark said as he began ringing up the purchases. Cyrus's eyes widened as each swipe brought about a ringing sound. He watched the list on the screen grow longer and longer as Mr. Clark continued to scan the items.

"Yeah, well it's hard to find frozen pizza in Wonderland."

"I suppose that is true," He answered with a sneeze accepting the money from Will and giving him change, "See you around."

Cyrus watched as Will put the change in his wallet, "What is that paper?"

"It's money, currency in this land. A lot easier to deal with." He handed Cyrus a dollar bill as he grabbed the majority of the bags.

Cyrus studied the dollar in the light for a second, "Interesting." He handed the dollar back to Will.

"Keep it," He said turning towards the door, "Can you get the rest of the bags, mate?"

"Of course," He placed the dollar in his pocket and grabbed the remaining bags, "This world is much more wonderful than Wonderland."

"Just wait until you try pizza," Will said leading Cyrus down the street and back towards the apartment.

* * *

Ana's head was spinning and she wasn't sure if it was because she was dizzy or it was just the act of watching Ruby flit around the store. She already had a pile of clothing going for the two girls and was continuously adding to it once they had figured out their sizes.

"What about this?" Alice asked holding up a yellow shirt.

"Not your color, but the blue one is great." Ruby answered pointing to the shirt next to it. She picked through a rack pulling a red dress and placing it on Ana's pile.

"No red," Ana answered suddenly from her spot leaning against what Ruby had told her were jeans.

"You look great in red," Ruby argued as Alice wandered over to the pair.

"I've worn enough red for a lifetime," Ana said with a mirthless smirk.

"Well then you pick something," Ruby said throwing her hands in the air. "Picking is half the fun of shopping."

"What's the other half?"

"Trying some of the scantily clad outfits I slipped in your piles on later, in front of your men."

Ana turned to flip through the dresses on the rack, "I ran around Wonderland in very little clothing, darling. Will never paid much attention."

"Oh, yes he did," Alice sang as she moved to examine a navy dress closer. "Even when he wasn't supposed to be."

Ana felt a blush rising to her cheeks and pretended to be very interested in the dresses in front of her, finally pulling out a white sundress, "Well?"

"That would look amazing on you!" Ruby squealed putting it in the pile along with the red dress.

"Hey!" Ana protested as the red dress joined her pile.

"So would the red," Ruby said shooting her a look. "Second chances, don't let a color hold you back."

They spent the next twenty minutes going over the piles. Ruby making sure they had a full wardrobe to choose from for every occasion, and plenty of shoes to match. "Is this the only clothing store in town?" Alice asked.

"For now, someone is opening a small boutique next month called the Glass Slipper. Let's find some stuff for Cyrus, I'm good at guessing sizes," Ruby replied, proud of her talent.

Alice and Ruby began digging through the men's section as Ana watched the cars moving out the window. She watched the lights changing and directing the traffic. She then focused her attention on the people passing by, seeing the trends she would have to adjust to in this land to fit in.

"What do you think of this?" Alice called to Ana holding up a man's t-shirt.

Ana could tell she was making sure she was still alert and awake. Ana knew it had to be more than an hour, "Cyrus will like it."

"I think so," Alice agreed smiling turning back to Ruby, "We are almost done!"

"Take your time," She smiled looking out the window again at the people crossing the street. For the first time in a while she felt comfortable with the people around her.

"Ana!" Ruby called a few moments later pulling her from her daydream, "The credit card."

Ana handed the card over to Ruby, "What does it do?"

"You use it to pay for things." Ana and Alice watched in amazement as their items were rung up and Ruby swiped the card, "Now you sign."

"Sign what?" Ana asked looking for paper.

"The screen," She handed the pen to Ana, "He's your boyfriend. Just sign here." Ana carefully took the pen and signed the name _'Anastasia Scarlet'_ on the screen with a small smile, "Easy."

"And that works for currency?" Alice asked stunned.

"All in a convenient package," Ruby handed the card back to Ana as the cashier began to pack up their extensive purchases.

Ana wandered back to the window, finding it more interesting to watch the people pass then their clothes be packaged. Her eyes followed the people crossing the street when a dark haired woman caught her eye. She was poised and proper, moving swiftly across the street with a younger dark haired woman in tow, seeming to be about Anastasia's own age.

"No," She muttered, squinting her eyes to get a better look, her face pressed closely against the window's glass. It was unmistakable, the tightly pulled back hair, her nose raised just slightly higher in the air than natural, her doting daughter following behind.

"Ana, can you help us with the bags?" Alice called, "Ana?"

Ana continued to stare out the window, her vision blurring. She couldn't be here. This couldn't be happening.

"Ana!"

She felt herself struggling for breath as her vision blurred, the last thing she heard was Alice calling her name as she fell to the floor.

* * *

Will pushed the front door open, having left it unlocked this morning and growled, "I told them an hour."

"Yes, Anastasia and Alice were always great at following orders." Cyrus joked as he followed Will into the kitchen, they placed the bags on the counter. "It gives us time to put away the groceries and clean this place up a bit."

"Well what's wrong with it?" Will asked looking around the cluttered apartment.

"Let's just say you should be thankful Anastasia didn't get to see this mess." Cyrus replied leaving Will in the kitchen to put away the food as he began throwing out empty bottles.

"What would you know, you lived in a bottle." Will muttered as he began putting away the groceries, earning a laugh from Cyrus.

* * *

"Alright, she is coming back to us. Anastasia, can you hear me?" A new voice called as she woke up. An unusual man looming over her.

"Who are you?" She questioned trying to sit up but being held down by Alice.

"Just relax, Anastasia. This is Ruby's friend Dr. Hopper. He is going to drive us back to Will's."

Ruby and Alice helped Ana stand and into the back seat of Dr. Hopper's car. She rested her aching head against the cool window as the other three loaded the purchases into the trunk. Alice joined her in the backseat as Ruby and Dr. Hopper sat up front.

"You should have told us you weren't feeling well, we would've left." Alice said as she squeezed Ana's hand.

"It happened suddenly," She didn't want to talk about what she thought she saw. If she even saw anything, "Sorry I ruined shopping day."

"Bite your tongue!" Ruby exclaimed turning to face her, "You were a trooper for being sick. Just wait until you are better. Now rest up, if you think we are overbearing just wait until Will finds out."

Ana closed her eyes against her pounding head, listening to Alice's squeals of delight as the car ride continued. They made it to Will's apartment in five minutes.

* * *

Will's head popped up when he heard the front door open. All the groceries had been put away and the place was cleaner than Will had ever seen it.

"I thought I said an hour!" Will exclaimed as he moved down the hallway towards the front door, his breath stopping when he took in the scene in front of him, "What the hell happened?"

Ana was leaning heavily between Alice and Dr. Hopper, Will rushed forward and took her into his arms, "I'm fine."

"You're definition of fine sucks, Ana." He sighed as he moved her over to the couch. He made sure she was resting before turning to the others, "You were supposed to be watching her!"

"Will," Ana called from the couch immediately redirecting his attention. "It isn't their fault, it was sudden."

"This is why you were supposed to be resting, so you don't suddenly pass out," He said moving to stand closer to here.

"Look, resting!" She said with a smile, "But I can't relax until you calm down. So play nice."

Will took a deep breath before turning his attention back to the other three, "Thanks for getting her home safe."

Alice patted his shoulder as she brought some bags over to the couch, sitting between Ana and Cyrus.

"I'm sorry, she was fine."

"It's okay, Ruby. I overreacted."

"Yeah, but it was adorable," She said turning to Dr. Hopper. "Want to grab a bite at Granny's?"

"Of course," He said with a smile. "See you around, Will."

"Bye, Archie. Later, Ruby."

"Night, Will. I think you will enjoy the purchases." She said handing back his credit card.

"Thanks for showing them around."

"It was fun," She said following Archie out of the apartment. "Bye, guys! Feel better, Ana!"

* * *

Cyrus was showing Alice the bathroom and how to work the shower, both of them getting cleaned up and putting on new clothes leaving Ana and Will alone. Will had water boiling to make pasta for a light dinner. They were currently laying on the couch, Ana's head resting in Will's lap.

"Did you have a good day shopping?"

"Yeah," She answered smiling, the person she saw still sticking out in her mind. She didn't want to talk about it right then, "Think there will be enough room for all the stuff Ruby bought me?"

"It will be a challenge," He said with a laugh, running a hand through her hair.

"You might just have to get rid of some of your stuff, darling."

"Oh, yeah? Why my stuff?"

"Because I look so good in all of mine," She said pulling his head down to kiss him.

"Well who could argue with that logic?" Will agreed kissing her as she laughed.

* * *

A/N: Hope everyone's week has been off to a good start. Let me know what you think!


	5. I Already have my Heart's Desire

A/N: Hello everyone! New chapter, as promised. I hope you like it!

A/N: This chapter was edited on October 31, 2014. Fitting the new assumed timeline that OUAT season 2 and OUATIW season 1 ended around the same time. This story now takes place along the OUAT season 3 timeline. Alice's home of Victorian England is also a different world, completely separate from England.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to OUAT or OUATIW.

* * *

Chapter 5  
I Already have my Heart's Desire

Ana felt shifting and opened eyes she didn't know she had closed, "Where are you going?" She asked once she realized it was Will who was gently lifting her up to get off the couch.

"I need to put the pasta on for dinner."

"Put the pasta on what?" Ana asked crinkling her nose, steel blue eyes meeting brown.

"To cook it, Ana. Aren't you hungry?"

She wasn't but she moved to get up, "Can I help?"

"You want to learn how to cook?" He asked pulling her up from the couch.

He kept her hand is his as he dragged her towards the kitchen, "Can't be worse than you learning how to cook. Tell me, Will, how do you use a microwave?"

He stopped abruptly turning to face her, "I'll give you anything your heart desires if you can point out the microwave."

"That one?" Ana guessed, pointing to the largest appliance in the kitchen, the fridge.

"Nice try, but no." He said wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to the stove.

"Lucky for me, I already have my heart's desire." Ana said with a sweet smile as she reached for the pot on the stove.

"Careful," He cried pulling her hand away and kissing the palm while reaching for the pot holder and removing the lid, "It's hot."

"Alice is right," Ana said peeking into the pot of boiling water. "The food in this word looks like the start of a potion."

"It just cooks the food." He opened the box of pasta and handed it to Ana, "Pour it in."

She poured the box into the pot as he dug around for a pan. He grabbed a spoon from the drawer and handed it to her, "Stir so it doesn't stick. Be careful of the water."

"I'm not a child," She muttered taking the spoon and stirring the pasta carefully. She watched Will dig through the mistaken microwave, before moving to the cabinet. He returned to the stove and turned a dial, lighting up a second burner, "Wow."

"Pretty cool," Will said with a smile as he chopped garlic and threw it into the pan before adding some olive oil, "Ready to check if the pasta is done?"

"How do you do that?"

He took the spoon from her and fished out a few pieces, he picked one off the spoon and threw it against the ceiling, smiling when it stuck, "Done!"

"Will!" A laughing Ana exclaimed looking at the pasta stuck to the ceiling, "That can't be the correct way to do it!"

"It's one way," Will said with a smile handing a piece to her, "You know you want to."

"You're wasting food, Will."

"Come on, Ana."

With a squeal she threw the pasta into the air, watching as it stuck next to Will's piece, "Cooking is fun."

"Glad you enjoy it," He said lifting her up onto the counter as he moved to strain the pasta, "But now you get to watch and rest."

She sat on the counter watching him strain the pasta before bringing it back to the stove. He dumped the pasta into the oil and stirred it around before turning off the burner. He reached around Ana pulling down bowls and scooping some of the pasta into two of them. He placed them on the coffee table in the living room before filling two glasses with water and bringing them inside as well.

He returned to the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Ana's waist, lifting her off the counter, "Dinner is served, my queen."

"Thank you," She said with a smile as he set her down on the couch. He handed her a bowl and grabbed his own before pulling her against him.

"Now, for some real magic." He grabbed the remote and turned on the television, "Ana, welcome to technology.

* * *

Will had handed the remote over to Ana, who squeaked in delight as the pictures continuously changed as she pressed different buttons, "Eat your dinner, Ana."

"Will, do you see this?" She asked ignoring his request. "This is amazing."

"Oh, the television is on!" Alice said happily entering the living room with Cyrus. "Can you turn it up?"

"No!" Will called remembering the blaring noise from the waiting room, "You two sure took your time getting changed."

Ana turned to find Alice and Cyrus clean and in some of the lounge clothes Ruby had picked out. Alice ignored Will's look as she spoke to Anastasia, "Did Will show you the shower yet, Anastasia?"

"What's a shower?" Ana asked looking between Will and Alice.

"It's like a bath, but standing up." Cyrus answered moving Alice towards the kitchen, "Smells great, Will."

"I want to take a shower, I feel gross." Ana complained moving to get off the couch.

"Bowls are up top, guys." He pulled Ana back on the couch, "Finish your food and then I'll show you how to work the shower."

"Will," Ana whined sitting back on the couch with a pout.

"Three more bites," He argued back as Alice and Cyrus joined them on the couch with their own bowls, their eyes glued to the television.

"You've gotten bossier."

"You've gotten whinier."

"Hey," Ana said with a pout, eating another bite of pasta.

He kissed the top of her head with a laugh when suddenly something caught the corner of his eye. "What is that?"

Ana followed his gaze to where the forgotten satchel of Ana's belongings was lying on the floor, a bright light shining out of it. She got up, hurrying over to the bag and digging through it, Will on her heels.

Ana pulled half a compact mirror out of the satchel, touching the illuminated surface, a voice speaking out as the picture cleared, "You majesty! It is good to see you awake."

"Tweedledum," Ana said with a smile. "It's good to be back," She turned to smile at Will who had pulled her onto the floor to rest against him.

"It's good to see you all," The Rabbit said joining Tweedledum in the picture, Alice and Cyrus moved to see. "I have news on the reconstruction of Wonderland. The reign of the Red Queen has officially ended."

"Hey! I die and suddenly my reign is over?" Ana pouted.

"I didn't say your reign was over, just the Red Queen. Today marched the new reign of the White King and Queen."

"Who are they?" Will asked.

"You and Anastasia, of course," Rabbit answered.

"What?" Will and Ana asked.

"Well people here still despise the Red Queen," Tweedledum answered honesty, "Sorry, your majesty."

"Anyway," The Rabbit interrupted. "The idea is to rebuild the image. The repentant White Queen ruling justly with her king by her side."

"Is it going well?" Alice asked.

"… It's a work in progress. We have put the items on your list into action. May I recommend staying away for a while longer, let some of the healing take place…"

"We get it, Rabbit. If I return to Wonderland now I'll probably be fed to the wraths again, you don't need to sugar coat it."

"Wait, What?" Will asked confused but the Rabbit ignored him.

"Precisely, I trust you are all taking care of yourselves. We will be in touch again soon." With that, the screen faded to just a mirror again.

"Well, it seems Wonderland is in good hands." Cyrus said pulling Alice back to their dinner on the couch.

"Can I shower now?" Ana asked turning to Will as she slipped the mirror back into the satchel.

"Sure," He said pulling her up. "We will see you both, tomorrow. Can you put the leftover pasta in the fridge?"

"The what?"

"I will handle it, Will." Cyrus answered telling Alice he would explain it later, "Good night."

* * *

Will led Ana to the bathroom off the bedroom, turning on the light. He turned the water on, switching it so the tub would fill.

"I want a shower."

"You passed out earlier, you can try a shower later." He moved around her and pulled a bottle out of the medicine cabinet. He dumped some of it into the tub immediately producing bubbles and a floral scent.

"For stressful days?"

"I picked it up at the store today, you love the smell of roses."

She smiled softly, "Help me with the zipper?"

He placed the bottle back in the cabinet and moved to pull down the zipper of her dress. He pushed the dress from her shoulders and she stepped out of it. When she bent down to pick the dress up off the floor Will saw it, running down the side of her back it stood out against her flawless skin. He gasped, trying to cover the noise.

"What?" She turned quickly to face him.

"Nothing," He answered moving towards her, trying to keep her calm.

"Not pretty enough for you anymore?" She asked, her face turning angry as she stepped back.

"Ana, stop it," He scoffed at her ridiculous accusation.

"Just get out!"

"Ana," He said reaching for her, cupping her face. "You're perfect, beautiful."

"Then what…"

"… The scar. You can see where _he_ stabbed you. I didn't expect it, from what Cyrus told me the water was supposed to take away all traces of it."

Ana's was surprised at his admission and turned to look in the mirror. She could just see the start of the scar that took her life. She had seen the thin line on her neck, but this one was thick, deadly. "I…"

"You can barely see it. The scar doesn't matter. You're here, that matters."

She nodded, turning away from the mirror to look at him, "I'm sorry I snapped."

He kissed her softly before moving to turn off the water, "Just relax."

He helped her climb into the tub, waiting until she was settled before moving to throw her dress into the hamper, "Are you leaving?"

"So you can pass out and drown in the tub?"

"Sure, that's why you're staying," She said with a smile as he sat on the edge of the tub. "Baths in this world are glorious."

"I'm glad you approve."

Ana took the time to scrub the grime off her skin, moving carefully over her knew scars to get used to the feeling. She submerged herself under the water to wash her hair out, Will counting silently in his head until she reemerged.

"Are you done?" Will asked as she placed the soap back in the holder.

"Almost," She answered, gathering a handful of bubbles and blowing them into Will's face. She laughed when he almost fell of the edge, "I'm good now."

He splashed her lightly before grabbing the fluffiest towel he had, wrapping her in it as she stood up. Will unplugged the tub letting the water drain before following Ana into the bedroom.

* * *

Will sat on the bed watching as Ana dug through the bags for the clothing Ruby had described as lounge. She pulled out a pair of pajama shorts and tank set, undergarments and lotion before changing. Will worked on moving the many bags off the bed to the side of the room to be dealt with in the morning.

Will went back to the kitchen, grabbing two water bottles and making sure Cyrus and Alice had put dinner away. He said goodnight to the pair on the pull out couch warning them not to make the television too loud.

When he returned to the bedroom Ana was under the covers, her eyes drooping, "Tired?"

"No," She said accepting the water bottle.

"Stubborn," He replied as he moved to switch the light off. "Go to sleep."

"Okay," She said closing her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too, night." He kissed her softly before moving to the bathroom to shower and change once Ana was asleep.

* * *

A/N: Fluffier chapter, more to come tomorrow!


	6. Sometimes the Nightmares are Alive

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry this update took so long, I'm in my final three weeks of freshman year at University and they are taking no prisoners haha. Some updates on what is coming up; right now and for the next few chapters we are working in Storybrooke and some drama from the past. I'm working on presenting a new villain, either here or in Wonderland (where the group will eventually be visiting!) Let me know if there are any characters you are dying to see and I'll see what I can do about fitting them in. Okay, I'm rambling now so I'm going to stop (late night updating problems). I hope you all enjoy!

A/N: This chapter was edited on October 31, 2014

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to OUAT or OUATIW

* * *

Chapter 6  
Sometimes the Nightmares are Alive

Will took his time taking a shower, appreciating the modern luxuries that came with being back in Storybrooke. The apartment was quiet and peaceful, a welcome change of pace following their adventures in Wonderland.

He dressed in a pair of sweatpants before moving back towards the bedroom. The room was pitch black, the only light seeping in from the adjacent bathroom. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes landed on Ana, seemingly asleep on the bed her hair fanned out around her like a halo. The scene was uncomfortably close to seeing her dead.

He left the bathroom light on as he swiftly made his way to her side, his heart beating in his chest. In moments of panic like this he almost missed the emptiness of being heartless brought. He knew he was being irrational, but he approached the sleeping Ana, not breathing until he saw the rise and fall of her chest.

He let out a breath as he leaned over to kiss her forehead, the sensation of her soft breath against his face calming his beating heart. He moved to close the bathroom door, leaving it open a crack incase Ana woke up unfamiliar to her surroundings.

He climbed onto the unoccupied side of the bed, pulling the covers over himself. He turned, wrapping an arm around her waist and closing his eyes. He smiled when she turned into him, burying her face in his chest, and fell asleep.

* * *

"Anastasia!" A shrill voice called, cold and one Ana had hoped to never hear again.

"Mother?" Anastasia questioned as the darkness began to clear. Anastasia found herself standing just outside the small clothing store in the center of Storybrooke. Her mother was looking at her with just as much disappointment as ever. She wore a business like dress in this world, her heels making her just taller than Anastasia.

"You foolish girl," Lady Tremaine sneered at her younger daughter, "Still as worthless as ever I presume?"

"No!" Ana called moving towards her mother, "I became a queen, Mother. Just like you always wanted."

Her mother let out a cackle, "I don't believe it."

"Really! I am the White Queen of Wonderland! I rule with Will!"

Her mother looked disgusted, "You are still with that peasant? That worthless…"

"I love him! He is not worthless!"

"Worthless just like you!"

"Mother! Please, just tell me what I need to do…"

"To what?" Lady Tremaine asked looking down at her youngest daughter. "To make me proud? To make me love you? I could never love someone so useless. I worked day in and day out and you repay me by being less than ordinary, loving scum!"

"Mother!" Anastasia cried as her mother turned away from her, "I did it for you!"

"Try harder, dear." Anastasia let out a sob and Lady Tremaine turned and slapped her across her face, "Never cry, it makes you look uglier than you already are."

"Mother!" Anastasia cried as her mother hurried away, "Mother, please! I miss you!"

Lady Tremaine didn't turn around, "I don't waste a second thinking about you."

Anastasia sunk to the floor in tears as her mother disappeared, "Ana?"

Anastasia's sobs stopped and she called out into the darkness, "Riz?"

Her older sister appeared in front of her, "Hello, Anastasia." Her older sister looked down on her on the floor, her disdain matching their mother's. Drizella mirrored her mother while Anastasia mirrored the father she never met. Drizella had dark hair and eyes, and in that moment looked more like Lady than Ana had ever seen.

"I missed you!" Ana stood trying to hug her sister who moved away.

"Oh, Ana. You were always so foolish."

"Riz…"

"You never understood. You were the reason dad left. He couldn't stand you. You remind mom of him every day and to top it off you never tried…"

"What happened to us, Riz? We were so close…"

"You grew weak." Drizella spit out, her pointer finger hitting Anastasia's chest with every word, "You fell in love with a man not even good enough for the likes of you."

"You used to believe in love!"

"When I was a girl! Love is a fantasy!"

"It's not," Ana's tear stained face shook, "I found it,"

"Until he leaves you. Like dad. No one wants to be stuck with you forever, Ana. Not even me."

"Riz!" Ana called in desperation, "Riz, please!"

Once again, Ana was alone in the darkness.

* * *

Ana sat up in bed, gasping, tears leaving a wet trail down her cheeks. She looked around wildly in the darkness, taking a moment to remember where she was. The limited light allowed her to see Will, lying beside her fast asleep.

She felt a sob bubbling up, she tried to take deep breaths but couldn't stop crying. She felt Will shift next to her and clamped a hand over her mouth but couldn't control the shaking.

Will's hand reached out for her, he turned to face her when he found her sitting up, "Ana, you okay?"

She took another deep breath trying to cover a sob, "I'm fine, Will. Go back to sleep."

He knew her long enough to hear the distinct crack of her voice. He kept one hand on her leg as he reached to turn on the lamp next to the bed. He squinted against the light as he eyes adjusted turning to look at her, his face softening, "Ana."

"I'm fine," She said furiously wiping at her eyes, "Go to sleep."

He moved across the bed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He wiped the remaining tears from her face and kissing her temple, "You're crying, Ana. That's not fine. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," She hiccupped another sob, "Dammit."

He laughed softly, pulling them back to rest against the headboard. He rubbed her back soothingly, "Come on, Ana. I can help, if you just tell me what's wrong."

"You'll think I'm crazy."

"Love, I already know you're crazy," She laughed lightly punching him on the arm, making him smile. "Tell me."

She was silent for a moment, hiccupping away the last sobs and letting her breathing calm. Will was patient, rubbing her back and kissing her temple every so often. "I think I'm hallucinating, seeing ghosts or something."

His hand froze momentarily and he moved so they were facing each other, "What?"

"See! You think I'm crazy!"

"No, no I don't." He said pulling her hands to his mouth for a kiss. "Why do you think you're hallucinating?"

"I think I saw my mother and Drizella. Yesterday, shopping with Ruby and Alice."

His face darkened for a second at the mention of her mother, "Did you talk to her?"

"No," She shook her head and he nodded.

"Good," The last thing she needed was her mother back in her life. "Have you been seeing anyone else? Anyone floating off the ground?"

She scoffed, "No."

"As much as you might hate to hear this, there is a chance your mother is here."

"It was more comforting to think I was going crazy. Could she really be here?"

Will moved to sit against the headboard again, pulling Ana down so her head was resting in his lap, blue eyes meeting brown. He ran a hand through her hair, "It's more than likely she was brought here during the curse. You can't just go around dropping the idea that you're seeing ghosts, especially after dying."

Her eyes looked apologetic as she pouted her lips, an action she had done often when they first got together. Back when they would sneak out and lay under the stars, when she wanted a kiss. He leaned down obediently and kissed her lips, "I'm sorry." He kissed her again before straightening up and returning to playing with her hair, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For forgiving me. For not giving up on me even after I was gone. Even with dying, this is the happiest I've been in so long…" Her voice was on the verge of cracking and she took a deep breath, having cried enough before sunrise.

"Hey, that's been the crying quota for the day. We both made mistakes."

"I made mistakes."

"Yes, but as I've heard recently I've been crowned a king. Won't have to leave me for royalty this time."

She knew he was kidding, trying to lighten the mood but she shot up instantly. "I would give up everything for you. I would throw the crown into the sea if it meant one more hour with you."

He pulled her back down, "I know. We are going to be okay this time, Ana. We both grew up, realized that nothing is more important than each other. Whatever comes we will face it together." He leaned down to kiss her again.

"Even my mother?" She asked as he sat up.

"Even your mother," He caressed her cheek, "Who may not even be here and I don't want you to be worrying about."

"Well, if she isn't here we are back to me going crazy."

"Or you saw someone you thought was her."

"No one else in any of the realms has their nose stuck up that high up in the air."

They laughed, he let her fall silent before posing his question, "What about your sister?"

"Riz?"

"Yeah," He made a mental note to remember that nickname. Drizella just didn't have the same grace that Anastasia did, it was a horrid name. "Would you want to see her again? Reunite?"

Anastasia closed her eyes for a moment thinking back to her childhood. Living happily, chasing her sister around the yard when her mother brought home their new step-father and step-sister. The death. Suddenly never being enough for her aging mother. United with her sister against their step-sister to win their mother's approval. Her sister finding out she had fallen in love with a common man, the disappointment and yelling etched into her mind, _'I have no sister.'_

"I don't think she would want to see me either."

"Would it be that horrible to try?"

"It could, she has been bad talking me with my mother over the years."

Will cringed. Ana had never divulged the full extent of her family's relationships but he had enough of a picture to know that it was rarely a happy household, "What about your step-sister?"

Ana took a deep breath, "I was so horrible to her. I always blamed her for my mother not loving me, especially after she won the hand of the prince…"

"You loving boyfriend is right here," He reminded her jokingly."

She pulled his hand from her hair, kissing the knuckles. "I never said I was disappointed with losing, darling. Just my mother. I won someone much better." They sat in silence again, Will's hand returning to her hair, "I think I would like to see her again. Try to make amends."

Will smiled, "We can look for her. I would like to meet her, hear stories of young Ana."

"I doubt she would have any good memories."

"Anything with you is good," He kissed her again.

Ana smiled, "I wish I could've met you family. I'm sorry, I know you don't like to talk about it…"

He smiled sadly, "No secrets. They would've loved you."

"Not many people loved the Red Queen, darling."

"Not her, you." He said kissing her, his eyes slightly red. "My father would've found your dry humor hilarious. You and my mother would've had a grand time pointing out my flaws…"

"Lovingly!"

"Lovingly," He agreed with a laugh, "And Penelope." She sat up and moved to pull him closer, sitting on his lap, her legs straddling him as she faced him. "You two would've been great friends."

"Great friends often have a common enemy," Ana teased.

"Yes, I would've been screwed. There would be no competition with you two teaming up on me."

Ana gave a soft laugh before the somber mood set in again. One abandoned by the living, one left behind by the dead. "You and I will be our own family."

"All that we've ever needed or will need." He agreed, kissing her softly before moving her to lay down again, wrapping an arm around her and laying her head in his lap.

* * *

"You should go back to sleep," Will said some time later after the conversation had quieted to heart beats and relaxing breaths. Ana was snuggled up to Will's side, her eyes shut. Will had his hand running through her hand in soothing motions.

"No," She whined, turning up to look up at him.

"Why?" Will asked with a laugh at her stubbornness.

"I can't go back to the darkness, or worse the nightmares," Ana admitted quietly, looking anywhere but his eyes.

He cringed, "I'll be right here. If you need me, I'll be right here, but you need to sleep to recover."

She nodded as he moved to turn off the light, "I love you."

He kissed her deeply, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close, "I love you."

* * *

A/N: Alright another chapter down! Let me know what you think, I love hearing from you all!


	7. Do you Remember that Blonde Waitress?

A/N: Okay, hello to all my lovely readers (if you are still there). I know I have been missing in writing for way to long and left this story hanging, something I hate to do. I have nothing but the excuse that life at the time got in the way. I am here to hopefully make it up to you all and update this story and get back into it for real. I would like to thank all those who reached out in reviews and especially in private messages about continuing this story, it brought me back and gave me some fire to work with. I hope you can forgive my absence as enjoy this story once again.

I have also taken inspiration from seeing our lovely knave on OUAT and already have the path planned for taking him there. If you looked back on the previous chapters written before my absence (chapters 1-6) you will see a note that the chapters have been edited as of October 31, 2014. This is because they have! After reading some interviews and knowledge from tumblr (yay tumblr by the way) I have edited the timeline to the once which I believe is cannon. According to interviews OUATIW took place during OUAT season 2. This means that I've matched the OUATIW finale to the OUAT season 2 finale. This means this story is now taking place on the season 3 timeline and chapters have been edited to show this. Another small piece of information, Alice's Victorian England is a separate world from England.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter and expect another one soon. I am very excited to be back and hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think! And now, without further ado or rambling, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to OUAT or OUATIW

* * *

Chapter 7  
Do you Remember that Blonde Waitress?

He sat next to her still form, eyes no longer able to produce tears. His hand caressed her cold one.

"Will?" A worried Alice called as she hurried into the hall, "Oh, Will."

"She's gone. I lost her again, and it hurts." He cried to his best friend who hurried to wrap her arms around him.

"She isn't lost forever!" A slightly out of breath Cyrus called hurrying over, "We have this."

"You stole more water?"

"No, this was gifted," Cyrus said handing the canteen over to Will.

"She said it wasn't Anastasia's time. The Red Queen, but not Anastasia."

Will needed no more prompting as he poured the water into Ana's slightly opened lips and waited, "Why isn't she waking?"

"Apparently the Nyx was wrong. Anastasia really is gone, all that was left was the Red Queen."

"No! She was good! She helped us all save Wonderland!"

"The water doesn't lie, Will."

"No, Ana!" He called shaking her but she wouldn't wake, "Ana!"

* * *

Will sat up in a cold sweat taking deep breaths. He took a minute to collect himself turning his attention to Ana, relieved to find her breathing. However, it took him only a moment to see the pained look on her face.

"Ana," He tried shaking her awake. "Ana!"

* * *

Ana reclined on the lounge, smiling as her lover approached her, "Darling."

"My Queen," The deep voice said and she smiled at Jafar before he kissed her.

"I love you, be safe." She whispered as he disappeared, off to find that dreaded Cyrus and his mother.

"You know what you're feeling isn't real love!"

"And just what would you know?" Anastasia asked, standing to approach the prisoned knave.

"You know love because you've really felt it. It's messy. It means arguing and making up and laughing and-and crying and struggling, and sometimes, it doesn't seem worth it."

"I have that with Jafar!"

"No, we had that." He said managing to pull her forward and kiss her on the lips. They separated, his eyes hopeful and she slapped him.

"You are nothing to me," She said moving back to her seat, "You and your friends are finished, darling."

* * *

"Ana!" Will finally managed to get Anastasia to wake, his arms moving to hug her rather than shake her once she had, "You alright?"

She took deep breaths, sitting up, "Yeah."

He studied her for a moment, "You want to talk about it?"

She shook her head immediately, not wanting to think about Jafar and what he did to her ever again. She kissed him instead, wanting only the feeling of his lips on hers.

"Well, good morning."

"Morning," She smiled, relieved to be leaving the nightmares behind, even if only for a while.

* * *

Both Will and Ana were completely relaxed, lounging in the early morning sun. "What's the plan for today, darling?" Ana asked eventually, looking up at him from her head's position on his lap.

"Just what the doctor ordered, resting."

Ana gave him a sly smile, "I'm sure we could come up with something to entertain ourselves all day in bed."

Will let a smile slip before a stern expression fell over his face, "That is no resting."

Ana pouted, "Fine. We will spend today resting, but then…"

"When you're better." Will cut her off, "And my definition of better not yours. We have an ever after now, Ana. All the time in the world."

* * *

The pair spent a few more moments lounging before heading into the living room to check on Alice and Cyrus. Will was fairly surprised that they hadn't turned the television up to maximum volume yet, it left him a little nervous about what else had occupied their attention.

The couple in question, however, were dressed and finished with breakfast when Ana and Will found them sitting at the counter, "Morning."

"Good morning, Will! Ana!" Alice said happily.

"What do you two have planned today?" Cyrus asked.

"Resting," Ana said the word like it burned.

Will ignored her reaction to his plan for the day, "What about you two?"

"I think we will explore by ourselves today," Alice said, "See more of this Storybrooke. Especially considering we could be here for a while."

"Will you two be okay?"

"We are not children, Will." Alice exclaimed and Will scoffed.

"Fine, just be careful and stay on the sidewalks." He handed some money to Cyrus whom he had more faith in when dealing with the new currency seeing as he had explained it the day before.

"Have fun you two!" Alice called as she followed Cyrus out of the apartment.

"Think they will ever find their way back?" Ana asked with a laugh from her new position resting on the couch.

"I would feel safer leaving those two to wander around Wonderland," Will said with a shake of his head as he moved towards the kitchen to make coffee.

* * *

The pair ate breakfast on the couch in comfortable silence. Will enjoyed his first cup of coffee since the Wonderland incident, while Ana sipped tea. It was strange to be back together and so content, with an entire part of their lives pushed aside. They didn't talk about their years apart because they didn't want the pain again. They had lived and learned.

Will had given Ana the remote again, enjoying watching her exploring the new technology over anything that would be on the television at this hour. "How do you think everything is going in Wonderland?"

Will clicked his tongue, "I told you not to worry about it."

"I can't help it. I am the queen." She let the silence fall for a moment before turning to him with a grin, "And you are the king."

"Not until the coronation," Will replied.

"Technicalities, your majesty." She clicked the power button on the television and turned to face him, "Are you okay with this? Being king?"

Will faced her as well, "As long as I am with you, I'm happy."

"We don't have to go back."

"Ana, you love Wonderland," Will said and amended his statement as Ana scoffed. "You made mistakes but I saw you are last few days there. You care about the people and what happen to them. We will go back eventually and make Wonderland a better place. Together."

"Okay," Ana said with a smile, turning the television back on and snuggling into Will's side. "Whatever you say, my king."

* * *

It was almost noon when Will changed into clothes and returned to the living room. Ana smiled at him from her position stretched out on the couch, "Where are you off to?"

"I'm going to pick some lunch up from Granny's. Are you hungry?"

"No, but that's not going to stop you from trying to get me to eat."

"Will you be okay here by yourself for a bit?"

"I'll be fine, darling." She said as he bent down to kiss her, "Hurry back, though."

"I won't be long," Will promised as he left the apartment and headed towards the diner.

* * *

The town was much more crowded than it was the day before. Will made his way to the mostly full diner, listening to the buzz all around him. He took a place at the counter, waiting for Granny or Ruby to get to him.

"Where's Anastasia?" Ruby asked when she finally made her way over to him.

"Hello to you too. It's lovely to see you, I'm fine by the way."

"Hello, Will. Where's Ana?"

"Resting," He said with a pointed look. "I'm just here to pick up some lunch." Ruby nodded and wrote out an order before placing it with the kitchen, "What's all the excitement about?"

"Oh, the rumor mill as usual. Just before your arrival some of the town's major players took a portal to Neverland to go after a boy. The town's in a bit of an uproar, a bit dramatic for my taste."

"And you all called Wonderland a mess." Will muttered as Granny joined them at the counter.

"It was," She answered doing a quick look around, "Where's Anastasia."

Will rolled his eyes, "Hello, Granny."

She swatted his shoulder, "I didn't ask for your sass, boy."

Will nodded, "She's at home resting just like the doctor ordered, I'm just here to get us some lunch."

"Good," Granny nodded. "Bring her around when she is feeling up to it."

"Why?" Will asked in a more shocked tone then he intended.

"Sass," Granny scolded. "This Anastasia is very important to you, yes?"

Will watched Ruby's gleeful eyes at someone else being the target of Granny's scolding, but answered, "Very important."

"Well then she is important to us, if she is to be a part of our family I would like to spend more time with her. When she is better of course." Granny ended the conversation as she moved to bring some of the diners their lunch.

"Bloody hell."

"At least she approves," Ruby comforted. "I talked to her yesterday and Ana made a good impression. I doubt you'll make a similar one on her family." Ruby joked with a laugh.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that?"

"Anastasia's family? Already mess it up?"

"I did not," He said indignantly. "I need some information," He whispered, leaning against the counter.

"Why are we whispering then, and why don't you just ask Ana?"

"It's a complicated family."

"What kind of complicated?"

"The bad kind." Will answered, "The kind where the last time she saw her mother it was when she was telling her what a failure she was right before we jumped through the portal to Wonderland."

Ruby nodded, leaning in as well to keep the conversation as private as possible, "What do you need to know?"

"She thought she saw her mother yesterday before she passed out. It would just be better to know if there is actually someone to avoid."

"Give me a name," A new protective fire was in Ruby's eyes.

"Lady Tremaine, Ana also has a sister named Drizella Tremaine."

Ruby nodded, "They are here. Have been the whole time. They live in a house not far from town. The Evil Queen favored them during the curse."

"They in town a lot?"

"From time to time. Does Ana want to see them?"

"Not right now," looking around the diner, "She has a step-sister too. Cinderella, might go by Ella. They had a rough relationship but Ana was hoping to fix it." A laugh bubbled out of Ruby's throat, "What part of this is funny to you?"

"The part where you did already mess up this in-laws thing. You know Ella."

"No I don't."

"Remember the waitress you snatched Granny's spare key off of? The blonde?"

Will thought back to that night all that time ago vaguely recalling the dwarf and the blonde girl who tried to tell him that Granny's was closed. All he was really focused on was getting some coffee, but in his mind the memory of the blonde waitress cleared, "Bloody hell."

"Ella," Ruby nodded with a laughing smile. "She's a sweet girl, popular. Married to Thomas Herman. They live close to town. He is currently working at his father's construction company and she is opening her own store, Glass Slipper."

"If Ana wanted to meet her could you get them in contact?"

Ruby nodded, "I could defiantly try." The kitchen bell rang and Ruby collected Will's takeout. Will paid the bill, "Let me know if you want me to try and contact Ella."

"I will, thanks." He took the bag of food, "I'll talk to Ana tonight. Are you sure that was her?"

"Defiantly," Ruby laughed. "You don't seem to make the best first impression in Storybrooke."

"Sod off," He said heading towards the door, "Bye, Granny."

"Tell Ana we say hello."

"I will," Will agreed as he left the diner and headed back towards the apartment. He had the answers he needed.

* * *

A/N: And so the story continues! Whether you clicked on this story unbelieving that I finally updated or just tried it out for the first time, thank you! I hope you enjoyed it and I am working on the next chapter. Let me know what you think and if you celebrate it have a Happy Halloween!


	8. Once, I almost Perished like a S'more

A/N: Hello readers! Thank you to all of you who reviewed in the last chapter! I'm sorry this one took so long, my computer had a technical problem and had to be sent away to be fixed, but now it is and I will be updating sooner than last time! I added some extra so it's longer than normal to try and make up for the long wait. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Once Upon a Time or Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

* * *

Chapter 8  
Once, I almost Perished like a S'more

Will hadn't mentioned his conversation with Ruby when he returned with lunch. He and Ana enjoyed the rest of a relaxing afternoon in peace and quiet. Just after dinner time, when Will was starting to worry, Alice and Cyrus returned home and made a shocking announcement.

"We found an apartment!" Alice announced with excitement as she and Cyrus stood in front of the television facing Ana and Will lying intertwined on the couch.

"You what?" Will asked looking between the pair, "How?"

"So much for being an expert on this world," Alice teased.

"I mean how did you two, who can't tell a computer from a car, manage to do that?"

"Well we went to the diner for breakfast and Ruby…"

"Of bloody course, isn't a story if Ruby didn't have a part…"

"Ruby," Alice cut Will off like he had Cyrus, "Commented on how crowded the apartment must be and offered to help us find one on our lunch break."

"And just like that you have an apartment?"

"Yes, it's been approved by this woman named Belle, who is in charge of the building while the owner is off in Neverland. We can move in in a few days!"

"Bloody hell," Will groaned, "And you two think you can survive on your own here?"

"We survived Wonderland fine," Alice argued, "Can't you just be happy for us?"

"Congratulations, Alice and Cyrus." Ana cut in, nudging Will to be silent with her elbow. "We can't wait to see it, right, Will?"

"Of course."

* * *

Will was very tired when they retired to their room later. Alice and Ana had spent most of the evening talking about the new apartment, Will had lightened up once Cyrus and Alice had agreed to let him really teach them about this world over the next few days.

"Tired, darling?" Ana asked as he climbed into bed.

"It's been a long night," He muttered kissing her, "And I'm afraid it isn't over yet."

"What do you mean?"

"I talked to Ruby earlier..."

"And? Granny cutting you off from coffee?" She asked with a laugh.

"No," Will answered, moving so they were facing each other, "I asked her if she knew anything about your family."

Ana sobered up quickly, sitting up straighter and preparing herself for the answer to the question she was about to ask, "And?"

"They are all here," Will said, watching her reaction carefully, "Have been the whole time."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

Ana nodded, keeping her emotions in check, "Did she say anything else? Are they all okay?"

Will nodded, "Your mother and sister, Drizella, were treated well during the curse. They live just outside of town. Ella wasn't so fortunate during the curse."

Ana took a deep breath, "And now?"

"She is happy," Will watched as Ana let out the breath she had been holding. "Married and starting a new business."

"That's good," Ana said with a small smile. "Does Ruby think she could get in contact with her for me?"

"Said all you had to do was ask and she would try," Will promised.

"Tomorrow, then?"

"We will call her first thing in the morning."

* * *

The next morning Alice and Cyrus went out to the diner for breakfast, leaving Ana and Will to a quiet morning in the kitchen. Will put on the coffee, and true to his word grabbed his phone so they could call Ruby.

Ana sat at the counter sipping tea as Will explained the basic function of the phone and showed her how to call someone, "I'll pick you up a phone today." He promised as he dialed Ruby's number, laughing as Ana jumped at the ringing noise.

"Hello?"

"Ruby, It's Will and Ana."

"Hey," Ruby's replied, "What's up?"

Ana motioned for Will to hand her the phone, she mimicked his action and held the device to her ear, "Good morning, Ruby. I hope it isn't to early."

"Maybe if just Will had called, but never for you, Ana. What do you need?"

"Will told me about your conversation lately. About my family, about Ella. And I was wondering if you could contact her for me, see if she would be willing to meet."

"I can defiantly contact her and see if she would be up for it," Ruby replied.

"Thank you, Ruby. This means a lot."

"It's not a problem, I'll call when I know more. Later."

"Goodbye."

Ana handed a smiling Will back the phone, "See, not so hard."

Ana nodded in agreement, "Now we wait."

* * *

"I already programmed my number in here," Will said as he placed the cell phone within reach of Ana's position on the couch, "And Ruby's, Granny's, Dr. Whale, and Dr. Hopper..."

"I could just come with you all if you are so worried, Will," Ana cut him off.

"No," Will argued, ignoring Alice and Cyrus's amused looks at the couple's banter. After Alice and Cyrus had returned from breakfast he left the trio while he made a run to the electronics store. He had gotten all three of them cell phones and was determined to make sure Ana understood how to use it before he left her alone to show Alice and Cyrus around. "You need to rest and it will probably be easier without the rest of us here to bother you."

Ana sighed, knowing she wasn't going to change his mind and rather have him leave now so he returned sooner, "I'll be fine. There is a ton of food, Ruby agreed to check in on me if you are gone for more than three hours and this town is smaller than the Tulgey Wood. Go."

He kissed her quickly, "Call if you need anything or feel worse."

"Everything will be fine," She said as Alice and Cyrus waved on their way out of the apartment. "Besides, I've been ordered bed rest, you have to teach those two how to survive in this world. You may be the one calling me."

"Love you," He kissed her again before heading out the door.

"You too."

* * *

Ana pouted as she sat across from Will drinking coffee in the kitchen. Will waited, sipping the hot liquid before acknowledging her pouting, "What's wrong, Ana?"

"I want to come shopping today." She said sitting up straighter and leaning across the counter. She had been, what she considered, the perfect patient. She stayed resting on the couch during the four days while Will had taken Alice and Cyrus out and about, trying to make sure they knew everything they had to know before they moved out. She read every book in Will's tiny apartment, trying desperately to keep her mind off the fact that they hadn't yet heard back from Ruby. She was quickly running out of entertainment, but felt much better. She also knew that if she didn't get out of the apartment soon she was going to go crazy, and that wouldn't do anything for her recovery.

"Alright, get dressed."

"I'm feeling much better, Will, honestly! I've stayed resting for the past few days just like… Did you say yes?"

Will smiled, watching her transform her put together argument face to a shocked expression that made him laugh, "I did. You rested, like I asked, and are doing much better. Besides, this shopping trip should be enjoyed by someone at least."

She smiled wide as she hopped off her stool and kissed his cheek, "Thank you, darling."

"Hurry up, yeah? We are leaving soon." Will smiled after her as she hurried down the hall to their bedroom. He knew she was going crazy being stuck inside the apartment. She had called Tweedle seven times in the last twenty-four hours alone and while Tweedle never uttered a single complaint, Rabbit made his annoyance known. She wasn't doing well not being in control of the situation, both in regards to Wonderland and making contact with her sister. Having her out of the house would be good for her.

He listened carefully, making sure the bedroom door shut before grabbing the phone. Alice and Cyrus had gone to the diner for breakfast, leaving the pair alone before their shopping trip. They asked if they had wanted to go, but Will knew the person he needed to speak to didn't get into work today until noon.

He dialed the number by heart and waited as it rang a few times before it was answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Ruby. It's Will."

"What do you want, Will? It's my morning off."

"I know, I'm just checking in to see if you spoke to Ella."

Will waited, listening to the silence from the other end of the phone. "I did. I'm sorry, Will, but she says she has to think about it. Has Ana been asking about it?"

"No," Will answered looking to make sure the door was shut, "But I can tell she has been thinking about it."

"I can try talking to her again today, see if she has figured out what she wants."

"Thanks, Ruby. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Will."

* * *

Will couldn't hide the smile on his face when Ana came skipping down the hall a little while later, a smile bright on her face. She wore jeans tucked into black boots, a sapphire blue top that made her eyes sparkle, her hair pulled back off her face in a high ponytail, and a leather jacket similar to his own.

"I'm ready to go!" She said stopped in front of him.

"You look beautiful," He said kissing her quickly.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," She said kissing him again, "After the shopping trip, of course."

"Of course," Will rolled his eyes, wrapped his arm around her waist and leading them towards the door, "Come on, we have to meet Alice and Cyrus before they get too ahead of themselves."

"Honestly, darling," Ana said with a giggling laugh, "They've been in this world for nearly a week. You've spent days teaching them about cell phones, and stores and everything else you know about this world. I think they have a fairly good idea of what they are doing by now."

"One would hope, and one would be wrong." Will replied locking up the apartment and heading into town, with a happy Ana at his side.

* * *

Ana felt better immediately, walking down the busy Storybrooke streets with Will. It was without a doubt a better way to spend the day than sitting around on the couch with nothing to do.

They made it to the furniture store fairly quickly, and found Cyrus and Alice wandering around inside. According to Will, the apartment was mostly furnished and this was more to focusing on decorating the apartment, adding their own touch.

"Ana! Will!" Alice called pulling them over to the bedding they were looking at, "Finally."

"Sorry, darling." Ana answered, untangling her arm from Will's and moving to look at the bedding Alice was pointing out, "This is lovely."

"Yes, but do you think it goes with this?" Alice asked pulling Ana's attention away from the bedding and leading her further into the store.

"Could you have even imagined the two of them shopping for furniture together a week ago?" Cyrus asked with a laugh as the girls disappeared deeper into the store.

"They couldn't even breathe the same air without it ending in an argument." Will concluded following them into the store, "It's frightening."

"It's a miracle."

* * *

It was nearly two hours later when Alice and Cyrus had agreed on everything they needed for their apartment. The group now made their way back to the apartment to help move Alice and Cyrus's stuff in.

Alice and Cyrus walked ahead, Alice fishing for the key Will was worried she had already lost. Will had to admit it would be nice to have the apartment just to himself and Ana, but he didn't have complete faith in Alice and Cyrus's ability to survive by themselves in this world.

Ana smiled at him from her place next to him, "You still feeling okay?"

"Fine, darling." She smiled widely as they waited for Alice to unlock the door, "This was fun."

"Good," Will smiled as Alice pushed the door open. Ana hurried inside after the pair, excited to see the apartment for the first time.

"Oh, this is beautiful!" She exclaimed as she placed the bags she had been carrying down on the hardwood floors. It was a bit bigger than Will's apartment, but still one bedroom and one bath. The kitchen and living room were connected and filled with light. The furniture was modern and neutral, but the accessories they had purchased would help to customize the apartment.

"Isn't it?" Alice said happily. "Large and private."

"Lovely," Ana smiled wide, "Let's get you both settled then!"

* * *

The group had rearranged furniture, unpacked Cyrus and Alice'sbelonging and stocked the fridge by nightfall. Will cooked dinner in the apartment's kitchen, showing Alice and Cyrus everything they should know once again. Ana sat at the table and laughed at Will's frustration and Alice's feigned cluelessness to prompt it. Cyrus soon joined her, leaving the two best friends to bicker in the kitchen, delaying dinner by nearly an hour.

"We will see you soon," Ana said hugging Cyrus and Alice at the door, "Enjoy the apartment!"

"Bye," The pair waved as they watched Ana and Will walk down the street and out of sight.

"They will be fine," Ana said as she looped her arm through Will's.

"Probably," Will agreed smiling at her, "Nice place."

"Lovely," Ana agreed, "But I think our apartment is homier."

"Do you now?" Will asked with a smirk, "Well then, let's go home." The pair walked together down the street and back to the apartment, enjoying the peace and quiet of it being just the two of them.

* * *

Will wandered back into the living room later that night to find Ana digging through her satchel, "What are you doing?"

"I thought I'd check in with Tweedle," She muttered, "But I can't find my mirror."

"That's 'cause I took it," He answered heading into the kitchen and opening the pantry.

"You what?" Ana asked tossing the satchel to the side and moving into the kitchen as Will pilled ingredients onto the counter.

"I took it," He repeated his words turning to face her, "Hid it."

"Why would you do that?"

"There have been some complaints."

"Tweedle would never…"

"… But Rabbit would. How many calls have you made to Wonderland in the past twenty-four hours?"

"A few," She muttered sitting at the counter.

"Seven. That I know of."

"I need to check in!" She argued.

"Not seven times a day you don't!" He argued back, moving towards her and spinning her chair away from the counter so she faced him.

"Wonderland is important and I have to make sure my advisers are getting things done," She argued, eye level with him in the bar chair.

"They are advisers for a reason, they can handle things."

She smirked at his frustrated expression, "It seems we having differing opinions, darling." Her voice softened and she let the last word roll of her tongue.

"I suppose we do," Will agreed, "How about a compromise?"

"What are your terms?" She asked tilting her head to the side in contemplation.

"No more communication with anyone tonight outside this apartment. I'll turn off my cell phone and you put away your mirror."

"And what will we do to pass the time?"

He held up a bag of marshmallows, "Dessert."

"What are those?" She asked fascinating, reaching for the bag that he let her take.

"Marshmallows. An important ingredient in the making of a s'more. Do we have a deal?"

"I accept your terms," She said with a smile, kissing him on the lips in a sign of truce.

"Good," He said pulling away from her to place his cell phone on the counter, "Did I ever tell you about the time I almost perished like a s'more?"

"I bet it's a fascinating story," She laughed as he led her over to the stove, "Do tell."

"Well, once upon a time in Wonderland…" He started his tale as he showed her how to roast the marshmallow over the stove.

* * *

An hour later they sat on the floor in front of the couch with a plate of half eaten s'mores on the coffee table in front of them. Will's back rested against the couch, with Ana resting against him, his hands curling around strands of her hair.

"We should make s'mores every night," Ana commented as she popped the last bit of one into her mouth.

"Thought you'd like them," He answered as he kissed the top of her head.

"You know me very well," She said as she turned her body to face him, kissing him softly.

"You taste like a s'more," Will commented earning a laugh from her as they separated.

"So do you," She giggled as she kissed him again. "This is weird."

"I thought you liked the taste of s'mores?"

"No, us. Finally being alone together," She said quietly, "I never thought we would get back to here."

He pushed the hair out of her face and pulled her closer, kissing her deeply, "Then enjoy the moment."

She greedily returned his kiss, pushing him down until he was laying completely on the floor, her covering him. She ran her hand under his shift, moving up and down his chest before deciding to pull his shirt up.

They were pulled from their trance by the shocking sound of a phone. He groaned, but quickly kissed her, whispering between pecks, "Ignore it."

She nodded, kissing him again hungrily as the phone silenced, only to stop when it immediately started to ring again. "You need to get that."

"Whoever it is can wait," He argued kissing her again, "We had an agreement and there's nothing I'd rather be doing right now than kissing you."

"As sweet as that is, darling, someone is trying pretty adamantly to contact you," She argued sitting up so she was straddling him on the ground.

"I'm sure they can leave a message," He tried pulling her back down.

"What if it is Alice and Cyrus?" She argued, "They could be in trouble. It's there first night alone in this world."

He rubbed a hand over his eyes as he relented, knowing she was right. He sat up and kissed her before she moved off of him and stood up. The phone stopped and started again, "Ours too," He muttered as he moved to answer the phone, Ana following him into the kitchen.

"First of many," She comforted as she took her seat at the counter.

He pecked her quickly as she settled, picking up the phone and hitting the green button without checking to see who was calling, "Hello?"

"Finally, did I interrupt something, Will?" Ruby's approving laugh carried over the line and Will rolled his eyes, Ana gave him a questioning look.

"What can I do for you at this hour, Ruby?" He asked answering Ana's silent question of the caller's identity.

"It's not what you can do for me but what I can do for you. Is Ana there?"

Will watched her face to see if she could hear Ruby, but she didn't give any indication that she could, "Yes, why?"

"Put her on."

"Why?"

"Will, come on the sooner I talk to Ana the sooner I go away."

"Fine," He answered in a huff, holding the phone out to his unsuspecting girlfriend, "It's for you."

Ana took the phone with confusion, but held it up to her ear, "Hello?"

"Ana," She jumped slightly at the noise coming from the machine still not completely used to it, "It's Ruby."

"Hello, Ruby." Ana replied as she watched Will clean up their mess from making s'mores, "How are you?"

"I'm fine." She answered in a barking laugh, "I actually have some news about your sister, Ella."

"Is she okay?" The question slipped from Ana's lips quickly, dread filling her stomach, Will turning to face her at the sound of her voice.

"She is fine," Ruby answered quickly, "It took some convincing, but she has agreed to meet with you."

"She has?" Ana asked surprised, meeting Will's eyes with a tentative smile.

"She has," Ruby answered, "We were thinking tomorrow, during the afternoon lull at the diner. I'll be the only one working and the place is basically abandoned around that time. Does that work for you guys?"

Ana could feel her heart beating fast, nodding even though Ruby couldn't see her, "We can make that work."

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow. Go back to what you were doing."

Ana rolled her eyes, "Goodnight, Ruby." She handed the phone to Will who placed it on the counter when he saw Ruby had already ended the call. He waited patiently for her to find her voice, "Ella agreed to meet with me."

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?" He asked trying to gauge her reaction.

"Of course," She responded immediately. "I just didn't expect her to want to meet tomorrow."

"That could be good, she could be really excited to see you again."

"Or really wants to yell at me and get it over with."

"If you aren't ready I can call Ruby back right now," Will offered, moving to stand in front of her stool and place a comforting hand on her shoulder, "We can reschedule."

"No," Ana answered quickly, "She agreed to it and I don't want to risk her changing her mind. I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Positive," She answered, fully meeting his eyes, her gaze determined.

"Let's get to bed then, tomorrow will be a big day." He said pulling her from the stool.

"We didn't finish dessert," She argued, thinking back to their previous activities.

He wrapped his arms around her, "You're shaking. You're nervous about tomorrow and not in the mood for anything but some sleep. We can make more s'mores tomorrow."

"Promise?" She asked with a smirk as some of the butterflies in her stomach settled, replaced by a new feeling.

He kissed her, "Promise." She accepted this and the two moved to bed, both anxious for the meeting that would take place in a few hours.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you think! Have a good start to the week!


	9. Estranged Stepsisters

A/N: Hello wonderful people! Another update and a huge thank you for those who left their thoughts on the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this update and have a happy Monday!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

* * *

Chapter 9  
Estranged Stepsisters

Will blinked in the darkness, listening to the muttering voice he couldn't make out, he reached out next to him in the bed and groaned when he found nothing but rumpled sheets. He turned on the bedside lamp, causing the person digging through the closet to freeze.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" He asked as he sat up, and Ana turned to face him, an apologetic look on her face.

"Go back to sleep, love."

"Well I can't bloody well do that with you stomping around in the closet," He muttered, rubbing his hand over his face as his eyes struggled to adjust to the light.

"I was not stomping." Ana said as her apologetic smile disappeared and her arms crossed over her chest in defiance to his comment.

"What are you doing then, Ana?"

"Trying to pick out the perfect outfit," She said looking back at the mess that had once been their packed closet, "For my meeting with Ella tomorrow."

"Couldn't that wait till the morning, when there is light?"

"I can't sleep anyway, I might as well get it done now."

"Come back to bed, Ana."

"But, Will…"

"You said yourself there isn't much you can do about tomorrow. She is going to feel how she is going to feel and your outfit won't change that. However, if you sleep you might be able to stay awake through her reaction."

She pouted for a minute, but moved back towards the bed and under the covers, leaving the mess of a closet to be dealt with in the morning, "Happy?"

"As long as I don't wake up to you trying to find the perfect pair of shoes," He answered as he turned the light off and pulled her closer, "Night."

"Goodnight, darling."

* * *

Will held Ana's hand tightly as they walked through the quiet town towards the diner. It was a strange time of day, too late for lunch, too early for the children to be out of school and far too early for dinner. Ana almost wished there was more traffic on the street, someone to distract her as they passed by. She settled for Will's hand in hers, a reminder that even if this didn't go well she had a family and a home.

Ana had insisted they left their apartment with plenty of time to get to the diner before the scheduled meeting. She did want to run into Ella on the street, she couldn't control much about today but this was something she was determined to have control over.

The bell above the diner's door rung as Will pulled it open, causing an overly alert Ana to jump. They entered the diner to find it empty, except for Ruby who was washing down the counter.

"Hey, you guys are early."

"I just wanted to make sure we got here on time." Ana answered as they moved toward the counter, Will's hold on her hand propelling her forward.

"Can I get you anything while you wait?"

"One coffee and one chamomile tea." Will answered Ruby who then left to the kitchen. "Where should we sit?"

"You should sit here at the counter with Ruby," Ana answered her eyes glancing around the empty diner. "I will sit in one of the booths and wait for Ruby."

"You want to sit over there alone?"

"I need to do this by myself," She answered dropping his hand and turning to stand directly in front of him, "But if you sit here, I can still see you if I need you."

"Okay," He agreed kissing her hand, "I'll be right here."

She nodded and went to sit in the booth and await Ella's arrival. Her hands were sweaty, and not from holding Will's. She settled in one of the closer booth, far enough away that Ruby and Will wouldn't hear their every word but close enough that she and Will could see each other's facial expressions clearly. She took a calming breathe and looked out the window, avoiding both Will's gaze and the door.

* * *

Will watched as she settled in the booth, hiding her shaking hands in her lap. He could picture her wringing them together clearly in his mind, a habit he had picked up on when her nerves ran wild. He kept his gaze on her for a few moments as she defiantly looked out the window before Ruby returned with his coffee.

"Is she already sick of you?"

"Sod off, Ruby," He said as he sipped the bitter brew.

"Seriously, how is she?"

"Ask when their meeting is over," He replied.

"I'm sure it will be fine. I'm going to bring her the tea."

Will watched Ruby approach his girlfriend and hand her the tea, prompting a small smile from Ana. He turned back to his coffee, wishing it had something stronger to mix it with.

* * *

"Here's your tea, Ana."

"Thank you, Ruby." Ana said carefully taking a sip of the hot brew.

"You ready?"

"Yes," She answered with a confidence she didn't know she currently possessed.

Ruby smiled, "It's going to be fine. We will be over there if either of you need us."

"Thank you." Ruby walked away, standing back behind the counter. The diner was silent expect for the lifting and putting down of cups as they waited for Ella to arrive.

* * *

The silence in the diner was shattered as the bell above the door rang. The cups were placed back down and three sets of eyes found the doorway to be much more interesting then what they had been staring at previously.

Will was taken aback by the resemblance between the two, knowing they were merely stepsisters with no blood relation. He had never seen Ella, only heard stories from Ana as they hid behind her family cottage away from prying eyes. He had seen Drizella once from afar, and her mother once up close. Neither had the striking blonde hair that Anastasia and Ella shared. Their eyes both a bright blue and adept at hiding emotions. Will thought he saw some resemblance in their facial structure, but decided he was grasping at straws by that point.

What stuck out most in his mind as he watched Ella approach Ana on the other side of the diner was the way she hid her hands behind her back, wringing them together as she walked.

* * *

Ana's eyes snapped to the door at the sound of the jingling bell. She took a deep breath as she watched Ella approach the table, mentally comparing the girl to the image stuck in her head from the last time she had seen her years ago.

She stood from the booth as Ella got closer. Only feet apart the girls stared at each other for a moment, before the resounding sound of a slap filled the diner. Ella's hands fell to her side as Ana's flew to her cheek. Ella's shocked face matched Ana's own, the girl surprised by her own action.

Ana spotted the commotion out of the corner of her eye, the cringe worthy noise as Will's stool scraped along the diner floor in reaction to his quick motion. She shook her head, begging him to stay put. He hesitated but sat back down, no longer bothering to face the counter but watching the booth instead.

"I'm sorry," Ella finally said, oblivious it seemed to Will's commotion behind her, "I didn't plan on slapping you."

"It's fine, darling," Her signature endearment slipping from her lips as she pulled her hand away from her cheek, no blood, "Shall we sit?"

Ruby approached as the sisters sat on opposite sides of the bench, looking a bit shocked from the exchange. Knowing both girls she knew this would probably be dramatic, and hadn't ruled out a slap or two but figured words would be exchanged first. She placed an ice packet in front of Ana, "Put that on your cheek."

"It's fine," She muttered not wanting any more attention drawn to it.

"You want Will to come over and look at it himself?" Ruby smiled triumphantly when Ana cautiously placed the ice on her face, "Can I get you something to drink, Ella?"

"Water, please." She answered her eyes still on Will sitting at the counter, noticing him for the first time. They sat in silence until Ruby returned with Ella's water before retreating to the counter with Will. Ana placed the ice pack down on the table, "So is that the same man you ran away with all those years ago?"

"Yes," Anastasia answered nodding her head. She wasn't sure what Ella knew of the situation having been just whisked off to the castle to be with her prince. "We left shortly after the ball. We had been seeing each other for some time before that."

"You still seemed pretty intent on getting the prince's attention that night at the ball. Does he know about that?"

"He does," Anastasia answered in an equally defensive tone as Ella's question had been posed in.

The silence returned for a moment. "What is your motive, Anastasia?"

"I'm sorry?"

"What are we doing here?" Ella asked with a hysterical laugh. "We aren't close."

"We used to be," Ana argued.

"Yes, before I became a play thing for you and your sister to torment, trying to win your mother's approval…"

"… I know I was horrible to you the last few years we spent together. I deserved that slap." Ella's neutral face slipped for a second, showing surprise, before sliding back into place. "I know I may never be able to make up for that, but I want to try. I've made a lot of mistakes over the years that I'm trying to fix. I know you might not be able to forgive me, but I would like to try to be your sister again, if you are willing that is."

Ana held her breath as she finished her soliloquy, watching Ella for any reaction. The girl seemed deep in thought, not expecting an apology so easily. It felt like an eternity before Ella spoke, "I missed you."

"Really?" Anastasia asked shocked.

"The old you," Ella amended, "The one who would come with me on adventures in the forest when Drizella called it childish, the girl who hid the broken tea pot from father and Lady even though she knew I broke it, the girl who used to dream of balls and true love with me late after bedtime stories."

"I'm sorry I changed," Ana said. "I wish I hadn't tried so hard to please a woman who I was never going to be good enough for. I should've been a better sister to you and I can never make up for all that time I was a rotten stepsister."

"Maybe not," Ella agreed, "But you can spend the rest of our lives trying to." A smile covered Ella's lips and Ana recognized the need in her eyes, a lonely girl grasping on any form of family she had left. She watched as Ella looked over her shoulder to Ana's guard at the counter, "So, tell me about Will."

* * *

"It's just red and a bit swollen," Ruby answered Will's unasked question as she returned to her place behind the counter, unable to get him to turn around again. "I didn't expect her to hit her."

"Ana hadn't said much about their past but I knew it wasn't good." Will answered as they watched the awkward exchange between the blondes, "Odds this ends well?"

"I think they will surprise you," Ruby answered with confidence. "I know them both, talked to them both. They both want the same thing, a family."

"I'm Ana's family."

"You are," Ruby agreed wholeheartedly, "But they both know what it is like to have a sister. That's a type of love you can never give her, and Thomas can't give Ella. Sisters fight but they somehow always find a way to forgive each other."

"Even stepsisters?"

"Sisters are sisters, as you know blood doesn't make a family. Give them some time and some privacy." Ruby said as she went back into the kitchen to get more coffee.

Will hoped Ruby knew what she was talking about, but didn't move. Keeping his eyes on Anastasia. He was surprised when Ella's turned around to look at him before turning again to face Anastasia. Ana's eyes immediately met his, a gleam in her eyes and a sly smile on her face. She focused once again on her sister as he turned back to his newly refilled cup of coffee.

* * *

"That's a long and complicated story, darling."

"Start at the beginning and finish at the end."

Anastasia took a deep breath, "We ran away together shortly after the ball to a realm called Wonderland. Mother caught us right before we left, told me to never come home again I was making my choice. And I did, we lived in Wonderland for a while."

"What is it like?"

"Hard. Wonderland is like no other realm. We struggled and I made a lot of mistakes. I broke his heart," She said blinking back tears. "I married for power, Mother would've been so proud."

Ella pulled her hand onto the table, "You seem to be doing a good job at fixing those mistakes now. How did you get back together?"

"It took years. I knew I made a mistake the minute I said I do. I took lessons with a witch, learned magic. I wanted to change the past…"

"… That's not possible."

"It happened in Wonderland. It took years and a lot of complex magic but it happened. Of course not as I expected, I died and was brought back. I don't remember much else, I was out of it for a few days. I woke up in Will's apartment here, he lived here during your curse."

"All I did for twenty-eight years was work as a maid and waitress." Ella said as she came to terms with Ana's story. "You're together now and that's what counts."

"Making up for my mistakes is what matters. I won't be foolish again. I won't lose him again." The silence passed for a moment and Anastasia was sick of talking about her dark past, "And you? Did you marry the prince?"

Ella's smile grew wide, as it used to when they pretended to be princesses as children. "I did, shortly before the curse. We were separated in this world though."

"I'm sorry."

"Like you we found our way back to each other. We are together and happy again." She paused for a moment, if possible her smile growing wider, "We have a daughter."

"You do?" Ana felt her own smile growing. "What's her name?"

"Alexandra. Alex," Ella amended.

"Poor thing, such a long name," Ana answered with a laugh.

"You handled yours fine, Anastasia." Ella said as she pulled out her cellphone, flipping through photos for Ana to see. "I will bring her to see you soon. Thomas too."

"I would like that." Anastasia answered with a smile.

Ella sobered for a moment, wanting to know one thing before she fully committed to this newfound relationship with her sister, "Have you spoken to Lady and Drizella?"

"No," Ana answered with a somber shake of her head, "We didn't part on the best terms. It seems I am quite the disappointment."

"Their loss," Ella answered honestly, "Now, may I meet your Will properly?"

* * *

Will was startled by a tap on his shoulder, nearly spilling his coffee, he turned quickly coming face to face with Anastasia, "Bloody hell."

"Sorry, darling." She said with a laugh that told him she was anything but, "I want you to meet someone. This is my sister, Ella."

Will felt Ella's blue eyes on him, sizing him up as her sister's partner, "Will Scarlet."

"Ella Herman," She said shaking his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Oh, Ella." Ruby said as she leaned against the counter, a dangerous smirk on her face, "You've met Will before?"

"I have?" Ella asked, her face masked in confusion as was Ana's who studied Will, worrying the worst happened during their cursed past.

"Remember that thief who lifted your keys that night outside the diner? And Will, you know that blonde waitress you lifted the keys off of, right?"

"Sod off, Ruby." Will muttered at the shocked looks on the blondes' faces.

"Will," Ana seethed, hitting his arm lightly, "You stole from my sister."

"I didn't know she was your bloody sister," He argued turning to face Ella, "I'm sorry about that, but your keys are lost somewhere in Wonderland at this point."

"I guess I can forgive you," She said good-naturedly with a smile, "But, I do need to get going. I'll talk to you soon." She said hugging Anastasia before waving to Will and Ruby.

"Bye, Ella," Ana said as her sister left the diner. She waited a moment before turning a stern look on Will, "Really?"

"I didn't know?" He complained, Ruby's barking laugh echoing in the background. "Honest."

"I know," She said her face breaking into a joking smile.

Will carefully touched her still red cheek, "It hurt?"

"I've had worse," She regretted her words as memories flooded both their minds and amended, "I'm happy."

"Good," He said kissing her hungrily, lost in their own world until Ruby started yelling.

"Would you two get out of here with that, you'll scare off the dinner rush."

Will rolled his eyes as Ana pulled away, "Thank you for all your help, Ruby."

"It was my pleasure, I'll see you both later."

Will and Ana left the diner hand in hand, similar to how they entered it. They headed back to their apartment, happy how the day turned out.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Let me know in a review! Enjoy the week!


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